Notes

Additional Physical Form:

Also available on microfilm from the University of Florida.

Dates or Sequential Designation:

Vol. 95, no. 4 (Oct. 5, 1967)-

Funding:

Funded in part by the University of Florida, the Library Services and Technology Assistance granting program of Florida, the State Library and Archives of Florida, and other institutions and individuals.

Notes

Additional Physical Form:

Also available on microfilm from the University of Florida.

Dates or Sequential Designation:

Vol. 95, no. 4 (Oct. 5, 1967)-

Funding:

Funded in part by the University of Florida, the Library Services and Technology Assistance granting program of Florida, the State Library and Archives of Florida, and other institutions and individuals.

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By DEREK GILLIAMdgilliam@lakecityreporter.comDespite cold and windy weather, thousands turned out for the 10th annual North Florida Home and Patio Show, according to one of the cooridna-tors of the event. Austin Seay, chairman of the Rotary Club of Lake City Downtown, estimat-ed between 3,000 and 5,000 people bun-dled up and turned out at the Columbia County Fairgrounds on Saturday. Overall, I would say the first day was very successful, he said. We had a steady flow of people all day. The show will continue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. Seay said every vendor he spoke to had either made a sale or had generat-ed leads with potential customers. One local plumber who had not had work for about a week, now has two weeks of business scheduled, he said. The Rotary Club organizes the show, and any money the club raises goes toward its charity efforts, he said. Every single nickel goes back into the community, Seay said. Kelley Frazier, of Lake City, said she came because her home needed a new metal roof, and she wants to refinBy JOSH LEDERMANAssociated PressWASHINGTON  Severe spending cuts now the law of the land, President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans refused Saturday to concede any culpabil-ity for failing to stave off what both parties acknowledged was a foolhardy way to slash $85 billion in federal spending. The still-fragile economy braced itself for the gradual but potentially grave impact of the across-the-board cuts, which took effect Friday night at the stroke of Obamas pen. Hours earlier, he and congressional leaders emerged from a White House meeting no closer to an agreement. Even as they pledged a renewed effort to retro-actively undo the spend-ing cuts, both parties said the blame rests squarely on the other for any dam-age the cuts might inflict. There were no indications that either side was wavering from entrenched positions that for weeks had prevented progress on a deal to find a way out: Republicans refusing any deal with more tax revenue and Democrats snub-bing any deal without it. None of this is necessary, Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday. Its happening because Republicans in Congress chose this out-come over closing a single wasteful tax By DEREK GILLIAMdgilliam@lakecityreporter.comFour school students and two drivers were taken to the hospi-tal after a crash involving a car, a tractor-trailer and a Columbia County School District bus about 4 p.m. Friday on U.S. 41 north of Lake City. The school bus was taking home students from Richardson Middle School and Columbia High School when it stopped to let off some passengers, accord-ing to a Florida Highway Patrol news release. Caitlyn Danielle Witt, 16, a student at Columbia High School, was driving a 2012 Nissan Altima and stopped behind the bus. The driver of a 2010 Mack tractor-trailer saw the bus and the car stop in front of him and pulled the wheel to the left in an attempt to avoid a collision with the Nissan, FHP said, but hit the car anyway, pushing it into the back of the bus. The drivers of the school bus and car were transported to Shands at Lake Shore in Lake City with minor injuries, accord-ing to a Florida Highway Patrol news release. The students were taken to local hospitals with minor Lake City ReporterSUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWS PAPER SINCE 1874 | $1.00 LAKECITYREPORTER.COM LCMS teamhopes to flushaway cancer. Local fifth-graderpicked to sing at national event. SUNDAYEDITION 1D 1C 1A NORTH FLORIDA HOME &PATIO SHOW P RESENTED B Y R OTARY C LUBOF L AKE C ITY D OWNTOWN Columbia County Fairgrounds Saturday, March 2nd 9am 5pm 10am 4pmSunday, March 3rd FREE ADMISSION Federal spending cuts take effectCUTS continued on 3A Convictsmurdertrial setfor June Killing of prison guard could result in death penalty.By TONY BRITTtbritt@lakecityreporter.comConvicted murderer Richard Franklin is scheduled to be tried in June for the March 2012 stabbing death of a Columbia County correc-tions officer. Sgt. Ruben Thomas Jr., 24, of Lake City, was killed in the attack on March 18, 2012, at the Columbia Correctional Institution. Thomas was stabbed in the neck by Franklin with a homemade weapon, according to prison officials. Corrections Officer William Brewer, 54, also was assaulted in the incident. According to reports Thomas was checking on an inmate in one of the pris-ons dorms when Franklin attacked him. Department of Corrections officials said Thomas was in one of the wings of a dorm checking on an inmate when a con-trol room officer saw Franklin chase and then stab Thomas several times in the neck. Franklin, who already is serving a life sentence for Franklin SHOW continued on 5A CRASH continued on 5A TRIAL continued on 5A Wreck injures six JASON MATTHEW WALKER/ Lake City ReporterA mangled Nissan Altima sits on a wrecker after being i nvolved in a three-vehicle crash on U.S. 41 Friday. An tr actor-trailer rig slammed into the back of the car, forcing it into a stopped Columbia County schoo l bus (at right). Two adults and four children were taken to the hospitals with minor injuries. Rig slams into car, pushes it into school bus FHP: Four students, two drivers treated for minor injuries. 10th annual exhibition will continue today at county fairgrounds. CALL US:(386) 752-1293SUBSCRIBE TOTHE REPORTER:Voice: 755-5445Fax: 752-9400 Opinion ................ 4ABusiness ................ 5AObituaries .............. 6AAdvice & Comics......... 8BPuzzles ................. 2B TODAY IN PEOPLE Rappers tour bus fired on; one dead. COMING TUESDAY City council coverage. 91 64 T-Storm Chance WEATHER, 2A Opinion ................ 4ACalendar................ 6AObituaries .............. 5AAdvice.................. 5DPuzzles .............. 3B, 5B 56 28 Breezy, chilly WEATHER, 8A Vol. 138, No. 284 DEREK GILLIAM/ Lake City Reporter Sally Billiter, of Lake City, takes a look at cookware on display by vendor David Knight. See another photo, Page 2A. Home show crowd good despite cold President, congressional Republicans blame each other for failure to act. Obama

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PHILADELPHIA P hiladelphia police said Friday theyre seeking witnesses after a gunman fired into a crowd of peo ple surrounding the tour bus of rapper French Montana, kill ing one person and injuring another, and prompting others in the crowd to return fire. The shooting happened late Thursday night as the bus, followed by several cars loaded with friends and family, arrived at a hotel near Penns Landing for a post-concert party after the rapper had headlined a sold-out show at the Theatre of Living Arts. A black sedan with tinted windows pulled up and some one fired shots into the crowd from a passenger side win dow, Homicide Capt. James Clark said. Two people in the crowd fired back, Clark said, and police were mulling whether to file charges against them. The New York rapper and mem bers of his entourage were inter viewed at police headquarters and are cooperating in the investigation, but police dont know if they were targeted, Clark said. On Friday evening, French Montana took to Twitter to express sympathy for the victims. He also tweeted that his bus was merely located in the vicinity of the inci dent. I had a peaceful concert and was not involved, he wrote. GLAAD to honor Anderson Cooper NEW YORK Gay advocacy group GLAAD says Madonna will present CNNs Anderson Cooper with an award for openly gay media professionals. GLAAD told The Associated Press on Saturday that the singer has been chosen to give Cooper the Vito Russo Award at the 24th annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York City on March 16. GLAAD President Herndon Graddick says Madonna and Cooper are longtime friends who have both used their careers to support lesbian, gay and transgender people. Cooper declined to speak publicly about his sexuality for years. But last July he gave blog ger Andrew Sullivan permission to publish an email in which Cooper said he was gay and couldnt be more happy. Russo helped found GLAAD and wrote a book about gay people in the movies called The Celluloid Closet. Bonnie Franklin, One Day At a Time star, dies NEW YORK Bonnie Franklin, the pert, redheaded actress whom millions came to identify with for her role as divorced mom Ann Romano on the long-running sitcom One Day at a Time, has died. She died Friday at her home in Los Angeles due to complications from pancreatic cancer, family mem bers said. She was 69. Her family had announced she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September. Franklin was a veteran stage and television performer before One Day At a Time made her a star. Developed by Norman Lear and cocreated by Whitney Blake herself a former sitcom star and single mother raising future actress Meredith Baxter the series was groundbreaking for its focus on a young divorced mother seeking independence from a suf focating marriage. It premiered on CBS in December 1975. On her own in Indianapolis, Ann Romano was raising two teen age girls played by Mackenzie Phillips, already famous for the film American Graffiti, and a previously unknown Valerie Bertinelli. One Day At a Time ran on CBS until 1984, by which time both daugh ters had grown and married, while Romano had remarried and become a grandmother. PEOPLE IN THE NEWS Daily Scripture Celebrity Birthdays Movie producer-director George Miller is 68. Actress Hattie Winston is 68. Singer Jennifer Warnes is 66. Actor-director Tim Kazurinsky is 63. Singer-musician Robyn Hitchcock is 60. Actor Robert Gossett is 59. Rock musician John Lilley is 59. Actress Miranda Richardson is 55. Actress Mary Page Keller is 52. Olympic track and field gold medalist Jackie JoynerKersee is 51. CORRECTION R.L. Gundy, president of the Florida chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, was misidenti fied in a story in Fridays Lake City Reporter, as was the name of his organization. AROUND FLORIDA Friday: 17-22-25-33 9 Friday: 13-16-23-25-27 Saturday: Afternoon: 8-0-9 Evening: N/A Saturday: Afternoon: 4-1-8-4 Evening: N/A Wednes day: 15-28-34-40-48-50 x2 Pentagon warns Scott about budget cuts TALLAHASSEE Hours before a loom ing deadline for automatic federal budget cuts, the Pentagon sent a blunt warning to Florida Gov. Rick Scott that spells out the likely impact on his state. Ashton Carter, a deputy secretary of defense, wrote to Scott and the governors of nine states likely to be hit hardest by defenserelated cuts that are part of $85 billion in govern ment-wide cuts that were to take effect at midnight Friday. Scott, in Jacksonville on Friday night, told report ers that the cutbacks were infuriating. In Washington they are playing politics, they are playing politics with families lives and jobs in our state, the Republican governor said. Carter said in his let ter that up to 31,000 civilian employees who work for the Department of Defense could be fur loughed up to 22 days each over the next seven months. He said that the Pentagon has estimated the furloughs would result in a payroll reduction of $185 million to the Florida employees. Previously disclosed impacts include loss of $135 million to the Navy for aircraft depot main tenance in Jacksonville and $3.2 million for four demolition projects in Pensacola. But the most recent let ter pegs the estimated cuts to the Air Force bases in Florida at $37 million. Scott said Friday that neither the president nor members of Congress should get paid until they solve the goverments bud get problems. Weve had to balance our budget in our state. Weve had to watch how we spend money. Weve had to live within our means. And we didnt do it with a meat cleaver; we did it with a scalpel. ... The federal government needs to do the same thing. More horse herpes found OCALA Another facil ity in Marion County has been quarantined after a horse tested positive for a highly contagious equine herpes virus. The Ocala Star Banner reports that state officials isolated Calder Farm in Ocala on Friday. The news paper also says this is the seventh facility to be quar antined due to an outbreak of the virus. Known as EHV-1, the virus is spread through respiratory secretions and via contaminated feed buckets, food, grooming tools and other equine equipment. Its not trans mittable to humans. State officials, horse owners and veterinarians took strict precautions earlier this week to contain the spread of the virus. Confirmed cases have been linked to a horse show in north-central Florida. The disease can cause neurological and respira tory disorders and other problems in infected horses. 4 arrested in grow house bust FORT MYERS Having air conditioners running on a cool day led Lee County authorities to arrest four men for alleg edly operating a marijuana grow house. Acting on a complaint, detectives with the sheriffs office narcot ics unit went to a Fort Myers home this week. Authorities found water hoses and pipes on the walls in the back of the home and three air condi tioners hooked up to the pipes. After obtaining a search warrant, four men were arrested on Friday on mar ijuana trafficking charges. A fifth person was also charged with possession of weapons by a convicted felon. Several guns were found in the house. A sheriffs office state ment said having the air conditioners turned on in 64-degree weather was just one of the many tell tale signs that the home was a grow house. 2 teens die in crash, fire ST. CLOUD Authorities say two teens are dead after their vehicle collided with one driven by a suspected drunken driver. Florida Highway Patrol reports that 47-year-old Randall Kerley was driving a pickup truck in Osceola County Thursday night when he turned left at an intersection in front of an oncoming car. The car hit the right side of Kerleys truck then hit an SUV that was stopped at the inter section and caught fire. The cars driver, 18year-old Rachel Price, and her passenger, 19-year-old Jamaree Cook, were killed in the blaze. No injuries were reported to Kerley or the SUV driver. Kerley was arrested at the scene and charged with two counts of DUI manslaughter. Governor signs death warrant TALLAHASSEE Gov. Rick Scott has signed a death warrant for a man convicted of kidnapping a girl on her way to school and killing her more than three decades ago. The governors office announced Friday that Larry Eugene Mann is scheduled to die by lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Raiford at 6 p.m., April 10. Officials say Mann abducted 10-year old Elisa Nelson in Palm Harbor on Nov. 4, 1980. Mann took the girl to an orange grove, where he beat her to death. 1 dead in shooting at rappers bus Wednes day: 3-14-20-34-48 PB 21 2A LAKE CITY REPORTER SUNDAY REPORT SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 Page Editor: Jim Barr, 754-0424 HOW TO REAC H US Main number ....... (386) 752-1293 Fax number ............. 752-9400 Circulation .............. 755-5445 Online .. www lakecityreporter com The Lake City Reporter, an affiliate of Community Newspapers Inc., is pub lished Tuesday through Friday and Sunday at 180 E. Duval St., Lake City, Fla. 32055. Periodical postage paid at Lake City, Fla. Member Audit Bureau of Circulation and The Associated Press. All material herein is property of the Lake City Reporter. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without the permis sion of the publisher. U.S. Postal Service No. 310-880. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Lake City Reporter, P.O. Box 1709, Lake City, Fla. 32056. Publisher Todd Wilson .... 754-0418 (twilson@lakecityreporter.com) NEWS Editor Robert Bridges .... 754-0428 (rbridges@lakecityr e porter.com) A DV ERT I S ING ........ 752-1293 (ads@lakecityr e porter.com) C L ASS IFI E D To place a classified ad, call 755-5440 B US IN ESS Controller Sue Brannon ... 754-0419 (sbrannon@lakecityreporter.com) C I RCU L AT I O N Home delivery of the Lake City Reporter should be completed by 6:30 a.m. Tuesday through Friday, and by 7:30 a.m. on Sunday. Please call 386-755-5445 to report any problems with your delivery service. In Columbia County, customers should call before 10:30 a.m. to report a ser vice error for same day re-delivery. After 10:30 a.m., next day re-delivery or ser vice related credits will be issued. In all other counties where home delivery is available, next day re-delivery or ser vice related credits will be issued. Circulation .............. 755-5445 (circulation@lakecityreporter.com) Home delivery rates (Tuesday -Friday and Sunday) 12 Weeks .................. $26.32 24 Weeks ................... $48.79 52 Weeks ................... $83.46 Rates include 7% sales tax. Mail rates 12 Weeks .................. $41.40 24 Weeks ................... $82.80 52 Weeks .................. $179.40 Lake City Reporter 2A ASSOCIATED PRESS Philadelphia police check out the tour bus of rapper French Montana on Friday. Police said they are seeking witnesses after a gunman fired into a crowd of people surrounding the bus, killing one person and injuring another. Associated Press Associated Press Franklin Cooper Montana DEREK GILLIAM/Lake City Reporter Home and Patio Show under way The 10th Annual North Florida Home and Patio Show kicked off Saturday at the Columbia County Fairgrounds. Area residents turned out to see a variety of vendors exhibits, from hot tubs to lawn mowers. The show continues today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed His steps; I have kept to His way without turning aside. Job 23:10-11

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By TONY BRITT tbritt@lakecityreporter.com Public libraries arent just places to check out books, most of the facilities are dynamic media centers. One of the key compo nents for being a highly functioning media center is the use of computers. Columbia County officials recently replaced comput ers at the public librarys downtown and the west branches, which is expect ed to enhance patron use. Barbara Gray, manager of the Columbia County Public Library West Branche, said the patrons are ecstatic about new com puters. We went from the buggy days to the jet age with these things, Gray said. The county recently purchased new computers for both the main branch library downtown and the west branch library. The West Branch library received six of the new computers. Of the six com puters, five are for public access for Internet use and the other computer has been designated a staff computer for the library staff. Gray said the computers are faster than the comput ers that were formerly in the library. The difference is like night and day, she said. She said the computers that were replaced were the old computers that the library had when it opened about nine years ago. The computers came with wider monitors. Gray said additional services are also offered with the new computers. We have word process ing on them now, so people can actually come in and type their papers and print them out, she said. We didnt have that before, so its an added feature. We dont have to turn people away now when they say they have to type of a paper. Debbie Paulson, Columbia County Public Library director, said the new computers help library patrons by offering faster access. We now have Microsoft Word, so people can more easily do their resumes, let ters and that kind of thing, she said. Were really happy about having some new computers, and its all for the patrons. Paulson said new com puters for the library staff were purchased some time ago in order to run the librarys automation sys tem, so all the recently pur chased computers will be used by library patrons. Library patron Michael Broadley, 20, was using one of the new computers at the main branch library Thursday and said it oper ated a lot quicker than the older computers. Its fancy, he said. Its a lot quicker and you dont really need to address the screen or zoom in if youre reading or looking up something. Its already adjusted to the average persons sight. Todd Manning, Columbia County information tech nology director, said the county purchased 14 com puters that are being used at the libraries. The approx imate cost of the purchase was $9,000. The county purchased Dell Optiplex computers and they came with new monitors. We went from 15-inch LCD monitors to 19-inch LCD monitors, he said. Six of the new comput ers were sent to the west branch library and eight went to the main branch library. They arrived Feb. 15 and we installed them at the West Branch Library on Feb. 19 and installed them at the main branch on Feb. 20 and 21, Manning said. Ive been trying to get them replaced for the last two years. Manning said the com puter purchase helps make his job easier. It streamlines my job, he said. The older com puters were outdated and antiquated. I had to focus a lot of time on keeping them running. The new computers have warranties and new operating systems and I dont have to spend a lot of time on them. We upgraded from Windows XP to Windows 7. Manning said all the computers are now operating with Windows 7 and theyve upgraded the memory on the existing computers and upgraded the operating systems. He said they are about to start a network upgrade and migrate to newer serv ers, which should begin Monday. All three branches will be upgraded, Manning said. We also upgraded the memory and operat ing systems at the Fort White library computers, as well. Page Editor: Robert Bridges, 754-0428 LAKE CITY REPORTER LOCAL SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 3A 3A SPECIALIZING IN: Non-Invasive Laparoscopic Gynecological Surgery Adolescent Gynecology High and Low Risk Obstetrics Contraception Delivering at Shands Lake Shore In-Ofce ultrasounds for our patients 3D/4D Entertainment Scans New Patients Welcome Call today for a personal appointment: 386-755-0500 449 SE Baya Drive Lake City, Florida 32025 www.dainagreenemd.com WE ARE WOMEN, WE ARE M OTHERS, WE UNDERST A ND Board Certied Healthcare Provider offering DaVinci Robotic Surgeries. Daina Greene, MD Marlene Summers, CNM Outstanding Leader of Inpatient Therapy Our therapy program is designed to rehabilitate individuals back to their highest level of independence and functioning. Our therapists and nurses work closely with the physician and resident in order to create a plan of treatment that will combine comprehensive care with the patients personal goals. Take a step towards your independence. Individualized Physical Occupational & Joint Replacement (Knee, Hip. etc) Stroke Cardiac Disease Fractures (Hip, Shoulder, Pelvic, etc) Arthritis Neck/Back Pain Balance Disturbances Dif culties Walking Generalized Weakness Impaired Abilities to Perform Activities (Bathing, Ambulating, Dressing, Eating and Transferring) Wound Care OUR SPECIALTIES INCLUDE: 560 SW McFarlane Ave. Lake City, FL 32025 386-758-4777 Call to pre-register or for a tour. JASON MATTHEW WALKER/ Lake City Reporter Jarrod Harris (left), 26, and Dustin Griffis, 20, use two of the new computers at the Columbia County Public Library West Branch on Thursday. New computers installed at libraries loophole that helps reduce the deficit. The president said the cuts would cause a ripple effect across the economy that would worsen the lon ger they stay in place, even tually costing more than 750,000 jobs and disrupt ing the lives of middle-class families. In the Republican-con trolled House, GOP law makers washed their hands of the mess, arguing that bills they passed in the last Congress to avert the cuts absolved them of any responsibility. Those bills passed with little to no Democratic support and were never taken up by the Senate. Weve done the work and shown that these choices can be made in a respon sible, thoughtful way, said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington in the GOP address. Obama was holding out hope that as Americans start feeling the effects of the sequester the term used for the automatic spending cuts public pressure will force lawmak ers back to the table. Ever wary that such fiscal fiascos could jeopardize the rest of his second-term agenda, Obama vowed in his weekly address to keep pushing reforms on immigration, preschool, gun violence and transportation. CUTS Continued From 1A

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To the Editor:The Great Sequester Fester. Its like a boil on your foot. Just stick a pin in it and continue on with your life!! As usual our leader would have you think the world is going to end because he will cut some federal funding and I do mean HE WILL CUT!! His only reasoning for bring-ing this forth is TAX HIKES on the so called rich in this country that usually end up being hikes on the rest of us like his last tax hikes!! This man is so totally committed to destroying the Republican Party that he can not think of anything else! He is a perpetual campaigner and he is in full sequester campaign mode now  if you believe him, then do so at your own risk. What I want from this man is leadership, not partisanship, which is what he is all about!! He can dictate what is to be cut from the federal budget, a budget we havent had since he entered the White House up to today. You may really be scared if you are living on the federal dime but I doubt the president will allow cuts to go for-ward that will harm his most ardent supporters. So kids, suck it up  just more mumbo jumbo from our fear-ful leader!! Manuel EnosLake City R ichardson High School was the former all-black high school here before racial integration some 40 years ago. RHS was always known for having an outstanding principal and faculty. Now, with each death of a former RHS faculty member, there are fewer and fewer members of that once-thriving old RHS faculty left. Here are two out of town deaths of former RHS faculty members you may have missed. Mervin Allen Jones, Sr., 73, long time school system band director, died in July, 2011, in Gainesville. He had been band director at Richardson High School, at Lake City Junior High School, and at CHS for 40 years. An outstanding musician himself, as well as a band director, he ironi-cally died the same month and year as local music legend, Dr. Alfonso Levy. As a student at Florida A and M University, he had been a mem-ber of the famous Marching 100 Rattler band. His former students will remember him for his teaching ability and his ever-present sense of humor. Also, Miss Vera Winifred Brown, 90, died peacefully on February 7, 2013, in Jacksonville. Early in her Lake City teaching career, she had taught French at Richardson High School. She then became a long-time counselor at Lake City Junior High School, retir-ing in 1978. She had received her bachelors degree from FAMU in 1944 and her masters from Indiana University. She was a member of St. Pauls Episcopal Church in Jacksonville, the same church previously attend-ed by local retired teachers Harry Finlayson and Ola Lee Means. Miss Brown was the consummate professional educator, always knowl-edgeable, soft spoken and dignified. The passing of Mr. Jones and Miss Brown will sadden both their former students and the many oth-ers who knew them.DASHBOARD ARTWhat some people see as extreme dashboard clutter on pickup trucks, I see as art. Art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, and I see the junkiest of those dashboards as pure art. The dashboards accumulate according to no fixed plan. There is no predetermined idea of a final appearance and in fact there is no final appearance as the contents are constantly changing. Thus you might say it is living art. The dashboard artist does not think of himself as an artist, and he does not even think to care what an observer might think of it. No two piles on different vehicles are even remotely alike. The artist may come from any station or occu-pation in life. Two of my late friends, Hillard Hartley and Wayne Hollingsworth, were among the best dashboard art-ists I have known. Their dashboards always included spit cups, tobacco wads, snuff cans, shotgun shells, receipts, and letters both opened and unopened. Sometimes their piles might rise four inches high or higher. I have always liked the people who have these piled-high dash-boards. There are, without excep-tion, genuine people, loyal friends, and straight talkers. Our county has lots of pickup truck dashboards like Hillards and Waynes, and sometimes I wish there could be a countywide dash-board art contest but it wouldnt worksome people would just stage the scene. Hence, not art. However, if any of you would be willing to email me a photo of your own dashboard art, I would love to see it. Send to williams_h2@firn.edu.BIBLE MEANINGA Sunday School teacher asked her young students if they knew what the Bible was about. One little girl spoke up and said, The Bible is Basic Information Before Leaving Earth. OPINION Sunday, March 3, 2013 www.lakecityreporter.com 4A Needed: Leadership, not partisanship Lake City Reporter Serving Columbia County Since 1874 The Lake City Reporter is published with pride for residents of Columbia and surrounding coun-ties by Community Newspapers Inc. We believe strong newspapers build strong communities Newspapers get things done! Our primary goal is to publish distinguished and profitable community-oriented newspapers. This mission will be accomplished through the teamwork of professionals dedicated to truth, integrity and hard work. Todd Wilson, Publisher Robert Bridges, Editor Jim Barr, Associate Editor Sue Brannon, Controller Dink NeSmith, President Tom Wood, Chairman W hen it comes to foreign policy, President Obama has yet to distin-guish himself as a high achiever. Even his decision to pull American troops out of Afghanistan by next year has been criticized, and not just by his political rivals. Obama has given his share of impressive and inspirational speeches both here and overseas, and theyve been well received, but policy successes have been few and far between. And now the situation in Syria has become so serious that the president has finally had to become more engaged in the search for a solution. Washington has announced that an additional $60 million in assistance will be provided to help the oppo-sition provide basic services in areas it controls. The United States also will provide food rations and medi-cal supplies to the Free Syrian Army, the armed wing of the opposition, Secretary of State John Kerry added after he met with Syrian opposition leaders in Rome. Earlier this week, Syrian rebels who had previously refused to meet Kerry and Britains foreign secretary, William Hague, changed their minds. Previously, those seeking to oust Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad had expressed deep dissatisfaction with Washington and London for offering only moral support rather than providing arms to help their cause. Their reluctance was based on the legitimate fear that the various rebel groups not only were poorly organized but were widely suspected of including opportunistic jihadists who might some day use the donated weapons to pursue their anti-Western agenda. But the Syrian situation is now so dire that the policy change became necessary.... Meanwhile, Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen wrote this week that a book (The Dispensable Nation by Vali Nasr) that will be published in April conveys the general impression that Obama is a man without a foreign policy. Nasr is the dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a think tank usually sympathetic to the presidents policies. Nasr was closely associated with the late Richard Holbrooke, Obamas special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and in his book he says that at the White House Holbrooke was always being shunned and given the silent treatment by Obamas other advisers and that this affected American foreign policy. After reading Nasrs book, Cohen concluded that Obama had naive aspirations  a world to be changed by the transformative power of a good speech  but no clear path to achieve anything. The short lesson here: The United States must be just as vigilant in the realm of foreign affairs as it is with domestic matters, and the president must lead by example. Obama needs to demonstrate he really does have a foreign policy, and the belated decision to aid Syria has to be seen as a positive sign. Its a complicated situation and will require all of Kerrys still-untested diplomatic skills to sort out. Theres no way the United States can tolerate the con-tinued existence of the 42-year-long Assad dictatorship, but neither is there an obvious or straightforward path that would lead to his long-overdue departure from Damascus. Nothing but talk The dwindling RHS faculty ANOTHER VIEW LETTERS POLICY Letters to the Editor should be typed or neatly written and double spaced. Letters should not exceed 400 words and will be edited for length and libel. Letters must be signed and include the writers name, address and telephone number for verification. Writers can have two letters per month published. Letters and guest columns are the opinion of the writers and not necessarily that of the Lake City Reporter BY MAIL: Letters, P.O. Box 1709, Lake City, FL 32056; or drop off at 180 E. Duval St. downtown. BY FAX: (386) 752-9400. BY EMAIL: news@lakecityreporter.com 4AEDIT Q Tampa Tribune LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Morris WilliamsPhone: (386) 755-8183williams_h2@firn.edu372 W. Duval St.Lake City, FL 32055 Q Morris Williams is a local historian and long-time Columbia County resi-dent. A change in policy toward Syria T he U.S. policy toward Syria, ever since civil war broke out in response to Bashar Assads brutal crackdown on demonstrations against his regime, has been relatively straightforward: We wanted Assad, his family and entourage out, to be replaced by an orderly transition to democracy. Although the U.S. strongly opposed the presence of radi-cal Islamists among the rebels, American sympathies clearly lay with the rebels. Even though we donated several hundred million dollars to refugee relief, we could plausibly maintain a certain posture of hands-off neutrality toward the actual conflict. No longer. As much as we may cloak it in the bland language of diplomacy, we have now, in effect, become participants. At an international conference in Rome on Syria, new Secretary of State John Kerry announced that, for the first time, we would give $60 million in non-lethal aid to the Free Syrian Army, whose numbers we would carefully screen against the presence of Islamic radicals. It is not clear how, in the confusing welter of groups that constitute the Syrian opposition, we would do that. Non-lethal, in the case of the U.S., may only be a synonym for greater things to come. With this action, we now have a vested inter-est in the outcome. Q Scripps Howard News Service

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murdering a college stu-dent, then struck Brewer in the eye with a sock filled with a heavy item before he was subdued. Jury selection is set for June 6 and 7 and the trail will take place the week of June 10. Third Circuit State Attorney Jeff Siegmeister said he will seek the death penalty. If the jury returns a firstdegree murder verdict, the sentencing/penalty phase (to determine if the death penalty should be imposed) will take place the following week, he said. Obviously, there are a lot of ifs. The aggravated circumstances strongly outweigh the mitigating circumstanc-es, and thats what were supposed to do in any first-degree murder case, which qualifies as a death penalty case  is to weigh the statutory avenues, he said. There are 12 or 13 (aggravating circumstanc-es) in Florida statutes, and there is clearly a number of them that are fairly preva-lent in this case that may outweigh the mitigating circumstances. Capital trials are conducted in two phases, first the guilt or innocence determination, followed by the penalty phase. Ultimately Ive been elected, and its my deci-sion in any case to seek the death penalty. Of course, I seek counsel with people involved with my office, Siegmeister said. Because I believe in the death pen-alty, I take it real serious. The familys wishes are considered, and its going to be longer for any type of closure with the trial and sentencing. There are automatic appeals ... and there is an entire sentenc-ing scheme that deals with us imposing the ultimate sentence. Its estimated that the average inmates stay on death row is close to 15 years, and Siegmeister said he had to consider the arguments on both sides of whether to seek a life sen-tence or the death penalty. Im aware of the arguments on both sides. With a life sentence, its done, imposed and its over quick-ly, he said.  But (with the death penalty) there is the belief that its a lawful, just penalty when imposed properly. If you seek it in every case, then its too many problems. If we seek it for the worst of the worst, I think it not only accom-plishes public sentencing issues, but it also gives the family a sense of closure. Siegmeister and Assistant State Attorney David Phelps will serve as prosecutors. Franklin is being represented by Third Circuit Public Defender Blair Payne and Jonathan Austin, an assistant public defender. Pre-trial hearings have been scheduled for April 5, May 3 and May 31 in the case. Perryman H. DenisonPerryman H. Denison, 92, died in Jacksonville, Florida on Wednes-day, February 27, 2013. He was born in the Midway community of Union County, Florida to the late James Oscar and Ethel Deni-son on February 3, 1921. He was a Minister for churches of Christ during most of his working life, serving the Moultrie, Georgia church and Florida churches in Live Oak, Macclenny, Lake City, Cocoa and Jacksonville. He also became a Real Estate profession-al later in life, owning and oper-ating a Real Estate brokerage and property management com-pany in Jacksonvilles Riverside neighborhood. He continued to serve his home congregation and others with his preaching, teaching, counseling and leader-ship during the time of his busi-ness career and on into his retirement.Mr. Denison is survived by his wife of 72 years, Vivian; sons Hubert (Marilyn) of Jacksonville and Jim (Renee) of Frederick, Maryland; grand-children Elizabeth Campagna (Jeff) of Marlton, New Jersey, Sarah Newman (Chase) of St. Petersburg, Florida, Tabitha Denison of Austin, Arkansas and Jessica Denison of Searcy, Arkansas; great grandchildren Vivian and Charlotte Campag-na; and his brother, Daniel R. Denison of Lake City. There are many others who rightfully consider themselves to be a son or daughter of Mr. Denison, especially Carolyn Terry (and her husband Bill) of Callahan, Florida and Cornelio Pena of Miami, Florida who lived in Mr. Denisons home in their youth.Visitation will be from 6:00-8:00 P.M. on Friday, March 8, 2013 at HARDAGE-GIDDENS RIVERMEADE FUNERAL HOME 127 Blanding Blvd., Orange Park, Florida. Funeral Services are 10:00 A.M. on Sat-urday, March 9, 2013 at the Ar-gyle Church of Christ, 7310 Col-lins Road, Jacksonville, Florida. A Committal service will follow at 2:00 that afternoon at Memori-al Cemetery, Lake City, Florida.William Buddy ONealWilliam Buddy ONeal, 60, a resident of Lake City, Florida passed away Febru-ary 28, 2013 at his home.Mr. ONeal was a lifelong resi-dent of Lake City, Florida and is the son of the late Richard Jackson ONeal. He was of the Baptist Faith and was employed by Protection Services for the SDVWWKLUW\YH\HDUVDVDVLJQscreener. He was a graduate of Columbia High School Class of 1971 and is preceded in death by a brother Francis ONeal. He also loved his Florida Gators.Survivors include his loving ZLIHRIWKLUW\YH\HDUV*DLOONeal, Lake City, Fl. His Mother, Doris ONeal, Lake City, Fl. Two daughters: Angela (Steven Kidd) Norris, Lake City, Fl. and Rosalina ONeal, Lake City, Fl. Three Sons: Anthony (Jamie) ONeal, Grand Junction, CO., Andy (Tabitha) ONeal, Lake City, Fl. and Walter (Hope) Norris, Lake City, Fl. Five Sis ters: Barbara McDaniel, Jasper, Fl., Florence McDaniel, Valdo-sta, Ga., Sylvia Carter, Calla-han, Fl., Nealy Balkcom, Lake City, Fl. and Sissy Love, Live Oak, Fl. One Brother: Richard ONeal, Jr. Lake City, Fl. Eight grandchildren also survive.Graveside funeral services for Mr. ONeal will be conducted Monday March 4, 2013 at 2:00 P.M. at the Forest Lawn Cem-etery with the Rev Joe Chess-HURIFLDWLQJ$UUDQJHPHQWVare under the direction of the DEES-PARRISH FAMILY FUNERAL HOME 458 S. Marion Ave., Lake City, FL 32025 (386)752-1234 please sign our on-line family guestbook at parrishfamilyfuneralhome.comLaVern GeigerMr. LaVern Geiger, 67, a long-time resident of Lake City, died late Friday evening, March 1, 2013 at his residence following an extended illness. Mr. Geiger was born in Duval County but was raised and educated in Co-lumbia County and returned to OLYHKHUHIWHHQ\HDUVDJRIURPDallas, Texas. He was the fourth of eight children born to the late Buster and Vellie Jolley Gei-ger. Mr. Geiger had worked as a long distance truck driver for many years prior to retiring. In his spare time he enjoyed hunt-LQJDQGVKLQJDQGDWWHQGLQJGLUWtrack race car races. He was a member of the Deep Creek Ad-vent Christian Church. He was preceded in death in 2010 by his beloved wife, Pat; and his brothers, John Robert Geiger, Kenneth Geiger and Joe Geiger.Mr. Geiger is survived by three daughters, Anissa Pesina of Forney, Texas, Janet Geiger and Tanya Geiger both of Lake City; two sons, John Roy Geiger and Troy Geiger both of Lake City; Three sisters Jeanie Lott, Linda Sue Robinson(Robert) and Kathy Spradley(Shep) all of Lake City; a brother Dell Geiger(Debbie) of Fort White. Eight grandchildren also survive.Funeral services for Mr. Geiger will be conducted at 11:00 A.M. on Tuesday, March 5, 2013 in the Chapel of the Dees-Parrish Fami-ly Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 5:00-7:00 Monday evening in the Chapel of the funeral home. Arrange-ments are under the direction of the DEES-PARRISH FAMILY FUNERAL HOME 458 S. Marion Ave., Lake City, FL 32025 (386)752-1234 please sign our on-line family guestbook at parrishfamilyfuneralhome.comMary Hogue-Crawford WynneMrs. Mary Hogue-Crawford Wynne of Natural Bridge Virginia and long-time resi-dent of Lake City FL for-merly of Jacksonville FL passed away on Saturday, March 2, at the VA Medical Center. She was a Veteran of the US Navy. She was born on November 21, 1938 in Rockbridge County to Es-telle Crawford Ewers, who preceeded her in death. She was preceeded in death by her husband, Jack Wynne, and is survived by daugh-ters; Victoria Davis (Cur-tis), Robin Wynne Frey-burger (Jim), Susan Wynne (Donna): son; DJ Wynne (Denise): brother; Jim Craw-ford (Jo): sister; Judy Barger (Jake): ten grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.Arrangements are incom-plete at this time, please con-tact the Dees-Parrish Family Funeral Home for service arrangements.Arrangements are under the direction of the DEES-PARRISH FAM-ILY FUNERAL HOME, 458 S. Marion Ave., Lake City, FL 32025 (386)752-1234 please sign our on-line family guestbook at par-rishfamilyfuneralhome.comObituaries are paid advertise-ments. For details, call the Lake City Reporters classified department at 752-1293. OBITUARIES Page Editor: Jim Barr, 754-0424 LAKE CITY REPORTER NEWS SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 5A5A MARCH 10, 11 & 12, 2013 CRASH: Six suffer minor injuries Continued From Page 1Ainjuries. After being treated, the students were released, school officials said. The driver of the tractor-trailer, David Warren Parker, 51 of Lake Park, Ga., was cited for careless driving, FHP said. At the time of the wreck, 21 students were on the bus. The crash occurred before any of the students were able to exit the bus, according to the release. FHP estimated the tractor-trailer was traveling at 55 miles per hour just before the collision. The tractor-trailers tires struck the back of the Nissan, the news release said. The evidence indi-cates the trailer tires went over the back of the car, FHP officials said. We are just thankful that no one was hurt seri-ously, especially the young lady in the car, School Superintendent Terry Hudson said at the crash scene Friday. The good Lord must have been look-ing after her. I mean just look at the car. SHOW: Chill doesnt hurt turnout Continued From Page 1Aish her bathroom tub. She said she was pleased with the variety of vendors at the show. It satisfied my needs, Frazier said. Janice Dormieny, manager of the Lake City Mall, was also at the fair-grounds. She said she is friends with about half the vendors and came out to support them, but also to make connections with other business owners in community. I like to come to this type of event to see new businesses in the area, she said. While the vendors with inside booths said the flow was steady, the out-side vendors with large lawn equipment said cold weather affected the num-ber of people who stopped by. Randy Mikell, owner of Mikells Power Equipment, was set up outside with new lawn equipment spread out around his canopy. The traffic has not been like it has been in the past because of the wind and the cold, he said. He had seen a couple of hundred people venture by the area as of noon Saturday. Usually, there would have been a couple thousand pass by him by that time, he said. But he said he wasnt disappoint-ed, and the weather was warming as the afternoon wore on. TRIAL: Death penalty to be sought Continued From Page 1A Because I believe in the death penalty, I take it real serious. The familys wishes are considered, and its going to be longer for any type of closure with the trial and sentencing. Jeff Siegmeister, Third Circuit state attorney Scott trying new approachBy BRENDAN FARRINGTON and GARY FINEOUTAssociated PressTALLAHASSEE  Gov. Rick Scott came into office on a conservative wave, promising to change Tallahassee, fight President Barack Obamas health care overhaul and make Florida as business friendly as he could. He shunned the press, announced his first budget at a tea party rally in a central Florida church and entered his first legislative session like the powerful CEO he was before spend-ing more than $70 million of his own money to win office in 2010. What a difference two years can make. Scott is preparing to give his third state of the state address on Tuesday, and while the major theme  jobs  will still be the same, Scott has undergone a transformation. Hes cozy-ing up to teachers instead of antagonizing them, hes learned the art of compro-mise with the Legislature and hes even cooperating with the federal govern-ment to put the presidents health care plan into place. Hes really the Benedict Arnold of the tea party/patriot movement in Florida. Most conserva-tives feel betrayed by him and members have been calling me and saying they want him fired, said Everett Wilkinson of the South Florida Tea Party, who once called Scott a rock star. Hes flip-flopped on such major areas. It shows how a man can be corrupted with D.C. and Tallahassee. Scott will outline his 2013 priorities as the Legislature begins its 60-day session, and unlike his first year, there is more likely to be applause from teachers than tea partiers as he calls for more state spending. Governor to give state-of-state speech Tuesday.

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March 3History programThe Friends of the Library will pres-ent A Florida History Chautauqua: Three Views (Harriet Beecher Stowe, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas) at 2 p.m. at the Columbia County Public Library, 308 NW Columbia Ave. Chautauqua performer Betty Jean Steinshouer will help us consider the inter-twined stories of three of Floridas most well-known female authors, who put the state on the map as only the hearts of women could. Free tickets are required and may be obtained at any library location.Free workshops The UF/IFAS Columbia County Extension is offer-ing free workshops during the Home and Patio Show form 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the Extension offices located at the Columbia County Fairgrounds. Workshops will include raised-bed vegetable gar-dens, container gardens for kids, how to prepare nutritious smoothies, back-yard poultry and more. For more information, call the Extension office at (386)752-5384.Gospel concertWesley Memorial United Methodist Church, 1272 SW MacFarlane Ave., will host a free, Southern gos-pel music concert by the Friends Singers at 6 p.m. The group of eight singers is a ministry of Friendship International Ministries, based at Colorado Springs, Colo. March 4Scout fundraiserBoy Scouts Troop 85 with a fundraiser at Moes between 5 and 8 p.m. A portion of all sales during that time will go to the troop. For details, contact Tabatha McMahon at 965-4674.March 5Lenten lunchThe First Presbyterian Church invites the com-munity to a Lenten lunch from noon until 1p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the church. The lunch will include soups freshly made by the women of the church. It will be fol-lowed by a short drama. The lunches are in remem-brance of the season of Lent, a 40-day season of reflection and preparation for the death and resurrec-tion of Jesus.Plant clinicUniversity of Florida Master Gardeners are available every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon at the Columbia County Extension Office, 164 SW Mary Ethel Lane, to answer questions about lawns and plants. Bring samples for free diagnosis or solutions. For more information, call 752-5384. March 6Builders associationThe Columbia County Builders Association is hav-ing a General Council lunch and meeting at Guang Dong restaurant in the Lake City Mall. Arrive about 11:30 a.m. for the lunch buffet. The meeting will start at noon. Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter will be the guest speaker. There will be a drawing for a free Sunday newspaper ad, plus our Hammer Claw drawing is up to $300. Cost is $12 for CCBA members; %15 for non-members. To make a reservation or for more information, call (386) 867-1998 or emai colcounty-build@comcast.net.Plant clinicUniversity of Florida Master Gardeners are available every Wednesday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Fort White Public Library on Route 47 to answer questions about lawns and plants. Bring samples for free diagnosis or solutions. For more information, call 752-5384.Friendship luncheonLake City Newcomers and Friends Club will have its Friendship Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. at Cracker Barrel. For more informa-ton, call Barbara Test at 754-7227 or Rose Taylor at 755-2175.Spouse loss groupA free Spouse Loss Group will be offered at 11 a.m. at the Wings Education Center in the Lake City Plaza, 857 SW Main Blvd. The workshop, facilitated by Jerry Tyre, grief services manager, will offer an overview of grief and suggest ways of coping with a recent loss of a spouse. For informa-tion or to register, contact Vicki Myers at 755-7714, ext. 2411, or (866) 642-0962. The Wings Education Center is a program of Hospice of Citrus County, Inc./Hospice of the Nature Coast. Visit www.hospic-eofcitrus.org.March 7Save Our SuwanneeSave Our Suwannee Inc. will host a talk and documentary showing by reknowned underwater explorer and filmmaker Jill Heinerth at 7 p.m. at High Springs Civic Center, 330 NW Sante Fe Blvd. in High Springs. Admission is free. Heinerths film We Are Water will be shown. Light refreshments will be served after the program. For more information, con-tact SOS board member Barbara Ferguson at (386) 965-090.March 8Gospel concertThe Hyssongs, a gospel music family trio, will give a concert at 7 p.m. at Lulu Advent Christian Church, 254 SE Gillen Terrace in Lulu.Fish dinnerOur Redeemer Lutheran Church, 5056 SW State Road 47 in Lake City, prepares fish dinners every Friday from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. The dinner is $6 for two Alaskan pollock filets, corn, baked beans, hushpuppies, cole slaw and tarter sauce. Take out or eat in. March 8-10Archery seminarCamp Weed will host a three-day archery semi-nar March 8 through 10. Fundamentals will be taught; all equipment is provided; video replays will help evaluate form and technique. Minimum age is 10. Camp executive director Joe Chamberlain will lead the team of instructors. Cost of the seminar is $68, which includes meals and equip-ment. Lodging is $75 per night. For more infor-mation and registration call Camp Weed at (386) 364-5250. March 9Disco ZumbathonA disco Zumbathon to benefit CO2 Student Ministries Summer Missions Camp will be from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the Skating Place of Lake City. Donation is $10. For more information, call Sarah Sandlin at 758-0009, email lakecityzumba@gmail.com or see Lake City Zumba on Facebook.Car wash fundraiserEastside Elementary School Safety Patrol will hold a car wash fundraiser from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Hardees on U.S. 90 West.Store anniversaryHarveys Food Store on U.S. 90 West will celebrate its first year of business from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be games, mud boggers, race cars, Nettles sausage, drinks and more. The public is invited.Turkey banquetThe local chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will hold a Hunting Heritage Banquet at 5 p.m. at the Columbia County Fairgrounds. For more information, call Scott or Ronnie Crews at 365-3633 or 867-2051 or email scottgun@comcast.net.6A 6A LAKE CITY REPORTER LOCAL SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 Page Editor: Robert Bridges, 754-0428From Staff ReportsPERRY, Ga.  Barbecue teams persevered through almost con-stant rain on a recent weekend during The Pigs & Wings BBQ Cook Off and Fly-In held at the Perry-Houston County, Ga. Airport. Forty-two professional BBQ teams and over 100 Certified Judges came to Perry to cook and judge some of the best BBQ in the Southeast. This was the forth-annual cook-off event hosted by the Perry-Houston County Airport Authority and Sponsored by The BBQ Times. When it was award time, the crowd heard Budmeisters called often and, most importantly, last. Pitmaster Thomas Henrys team from Lake City, Fla. became the third team in Georgia Barbecue Association history to win all three GBA catego-ries and a perfect score in Beef Brisket en route to the Grand Championship. Budmeisters also won the Overall Championship for the contest that went to the team with the highest cumula-tive score of the GBA categories of Pork Loin, Pulled Pork, Ribs plus Brisket and Chicken. In all, the team won close to $7,000. Budmeisters dominating performance created a pass down for Reserve Grand Championship. With a 2nd in Loin, 8th in Pork and 14th in Ribs, Chris Coleman & Dirty South BBQ claimed the Reserve Grand Championship. Following Budmeisters and Dirty South BBQ in Pork Loin was Anarque in third place. Fourth place went to D.W.s Kountry Cookers with Sauced Hogs Smokeshack in fifth place. Runner up in Pork was D.W.s Kountry Cookers. Killer Bs BBQ took third place and Que the Music claimed fourth. Forests Fine Foods edged Bethel Smokers for fifth place by 0.3 of a point. Superior Smokers had the second place Rib entry for the day. Bethel Smokers, Shadetree BBQ & Southern Paradise fin-ished third through fifth. Photo courtesy HOUSTON (Ga.) HOME JOURNAL From left: Lake Citys Thomas Henry, an unidentified event or ganizer, and Henrys son Josh. Local BBQ pro cleans up in Georgia COMMUNITY CALENDAR Q To submit your Community Calendar item, contact Jim Barr at 754-0424 or by email at jbarr@lakecityreporter.com. DEREK GILLIAM/ Lake City ReporterBreakfast with the ChiefLake City Police Chief Argatha Gilmore spoke to more tha n 50 residents at the Moose Lodge from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday about their concerns and wha t people can do to help the police department reduce crime. Gilmore has a quarterly Breakfast with the Chief, where she speaks with residents about problems around town. A hea lthy community is where you can bring forward your questions and concerns, Gilmore sa id. ... See something, say something.

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By TAMARA LUSH Associated Press SEFFNER Engineers worked gingerly Saturday to find out more about a slowly growing sinkhole that swallowed a Florida man in his bedroom, believ ing the entire house could eventually succumb to the unstable ground. Jeff Bush, 37, was in his bedroom Thursday night when the earth opened and took him and everything else in his room. Five other people were in the house but managed to escape unharmed. Bushs brother jumped into the hole to try to help, but he had to be rescued himself by a sher iffs deputy. On Saturday, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokesman Ronnie Rivera said one of the homes next door to the Bush house also was compromised by the sinkhole, as determined through testing. The fam ily, which had evacuated Friday, would be allowed to go inside for about a halfhour to gather belongings, Rivera said. The family was outside, crying and orga nizing boxes. Engineers had been test ing since 7 a.m. Saturday. By 10 a.m., officials moved media crews farther away from the Bush house so experts could perform tests on the home across the street. Its unclear how large the sinkhole is or whether it leads to other caverns and chasms throughout the neighborhood. Experts say the underground of West Central Florida looks similar to Swiss cheese, with the geography lend ing itself to sinkholes. Experts spent the previ ous day on the property, taking soil samples and running various tests while acknowledging that the entire lot where Bush lay entombed was danger ous. No one was allowed in the home. I cannot tell you why it has not collapsed yet, Bill Bracken, the owner of an engineering company called to assess the sink hole, said of the home. He described the earth below as a very large, very fluid mass. This is not your typical sinkhole, said Hillsborough County administrator Mike Merrill. This is a chasm. For that reason, were being very deliberate. Officials delicately addressed another sad real ity: Bush was likely dead and the family wanted his body. Merrill, though, said they didnt want to jeopar dize any more lives. They would like us to go in quickly and locate Mr. Bush, Merrill said. Officials added Saturday morning that a fund had been set up to help the families affected by the sinkhole. On Saturday, Jeremy Bush who tried to res cue his brother when the earth opened lay flowers and a stuffed lamb near the house and wept. Hillsborough County Fire Chief Ron Roger called the situation very complex. 7A time to be kids again *Only excludes Red Dot, Earlybirds, Night Owls, Doorbusters, Bonus Buys, Everyday Values, Alegria, All Clad, Austin Reed, Ben Sherman, Brighton, b.temptd, Buffalo, Casio, Citizens of Humanity, Coach, Cole Haan, Columbia, cosmetics/fragrances, Dansko, designer handbags, designer sunglasses, Dockers, Donald J Pliner, Dooney & Bourke, Eileen Fisher; Fine Jewelry watches and service plans; Free People, Furla, Gameday, Gear For Sports, Hanky Panky, Hart Schaffner Marx, Herend, Hickey Freeman, Hugo Boss, Joseph Abboud, Kate Spade, Keen, kitchen/novelty electrics/coffee, Lacoste, ladies better swim, ladies designer, bridge & contemporary sportswear & dresses; ladies, kids & mens designer shoes; Le Creuset, Levis, Lilly Pulitzer, Lucky, Mattel, Merrell, Minnetonka Moccasin, Miss Me, Munro, My Flat in London, Nautica, Ralph Lauren/Polo, Roberto Coin, Seven for All Mankind, Spanx, Stuart Weitzman, Thomas Dean, Tommy Bahama, Trunk Shows, Tumi, Ugg, Under Armour, Vineyard Vines, Wacoal, Wusthof; non-merchandise depts., lease depts. and Belk gift cards. Not valid on prior purchases, phone, special orders or on belk.com. Cannot be redeemed for cash, credit or refund, used in combination with any other discount or coupon offer. Valid March 5, 2013 senior Tuesday, March 5 BELK.COM % OFF EXTRA 20 senior DAY 1 5 % o ff With any 35.00 or more Lancme purchase. Up to a 121.00 value. Choose 6 beauty favorites & your bag While supplies last. One gift per client, please. Offer varies online. Valid March 5-24, 2013 Coupon excluded Your Gift 3050 % off Career sportswear from Kim Rogers ND New Directions Ruby Rd., Choices & Alfred Dunner for misses, petites & todays woman Orig. 24.00 88.00 Sale 15.99-59.99 Imported Page Editor: Robert Bridges, 754-0428 LAKE CITY REPORTER LOCAL & ST A TE SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 7A COURTESY Altrusa Girls Summit The local Altrusa Club held the 15th Annual Girls Summit for middle school girls recently with Third Circuit Chief Judge Leandra G. Johnson, center, as keynote speaker. Johnson spoke on the theme, Reach for the Stars. DEREK GILLIAM /Lake City Reporter Spotlight Singers Westside Elementary Schools Spotlight Singers sing Follow the Drinking Gourd at the last school board meeting in February on Tuesday. Cynthia Tickel directed the choir, and teaches music at the school. She follows a philosophy of music teaching called Kodly, which focuses on the most portable instrument of all -the voice, Tickel said. Engineers at work near sinkhole that swallowed man

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8A OFFER NOT AVAILABLE ON EXISTING CAMPUS LOANS. OFFER IS FOR NEW LOANS ONLY AND FOR A LIMITED TIME. MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER. 1. Credit app roval required. Your rate may be higher based on creditworthiness, boat and term of loan. For example, a $30,000 loan with no money down at 4.49% for 84 months would require 83 monthly payments of $419.82 and a final payment of $406.42, finance charge of $5,14 5.43, for a total amount of payments of $35,251.48. The amount financed is $30,106.05, the APR is 4.59 %. APR = Annual Percentage Rate. 2. Credit approval and initial deposit of $5 required. Mentio n this ad and well waive the $15 new member fee. This credit union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration.Membership is open to anyone in Alachua, Columbia and Suwannee counties!2 Lake City 183 SW Bascom Norris Dr.Gville E. Campus 1200 SW 5th Ave. W. Campus 1900 SW 34th St. Jonesville 107 NW 140th Terrace Hunters Walk 5115 NW 43rd St. Tower Square 5725 SW 75th St. Shands at UF Room H-1 Springhills Commons 9200 NW 39th Ave. Alachua 14759 NW 157th Ln. Ocala 3097 SW College Rd. East Ocala 2444 E. Silver Springs Blvd. West Marion 11115 SW 93rd Court Rd. Summer eld 17950 US Hwy. 441 Best-of-Market rates for BOATS 4 59%As low asAPR1For up to 84 months on any 2009 or newer! Limited time offer! Thru March 30 } Forfast approval call 754-9088 and press 4 orvisit campuscu.com today! Come see us at the McDuffie Boat Sale March 7 10 Call 754-2215 for info. This should get your motor running. 8A LAKE CITY REPORTER WEATHER SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 Page Editor: Jim Barr, 754-0424

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Lake City Reporter SPORTS Sunday, March 3, 2013 www.lakecityreporter.com Section B Story ideas?ContactTim KirbySports Editor754-0421tkirby@lakecityreporter.com 1BSPORTS BRIEFS Monday Q Fort White High weightlifting vs. Taylor County High, Santa Fe High, Bronson High, 4 p.m. Q Fort White High JV baseball vs. Gainesville High in Gainesville tournament, 4:30 p.m. Q Columbia High JV baseball in Gainesville tournament, TBA (three games scheduled through Saturday) Tuesday Q Columbia High girls tennis vs. Gainesville High, 3:30 p.m. Q Columbia High softball at Stanton Prep, 5 p.m. Q Fort White High softball at Williston High, 6 p.m. Q Fort White High baseball at Suwannee High, 7 p.m. Wednesday Q Columbia High softball vs. Suwannee High, 7 p.m. (JV-5) Thursday Q Fort White High softball at P.K. Yonge School, 6 p.m. Q Columbia High baseball vs. Valdosta High, 6 p.m. Q Columbia High softball vs. Lafayette High, 7 p.m. (JV-5) Q Fort White High JV baseball vs. North Marion High in Gainesville tournament, 7 p.m. Friday Q Columbia High baseball at Atlantic Coast High, 7 p.m. Q Fort White High baseball at Santa Fe High, 7 p.m. Saturday Q Fort White High baseball at Melody Christian Academy, 2 p.m. GAMES CHS FOOTBALL Q-Back Club meeting Monday The Columbia County Quarterback Club will meet at 6 p.m. on Monday in the Jones Fieldhouse. For details, call Allen Masters at 292-0725. T-BALL Lake City league registration set Registration for the Lake City Recreation Department T-ball program returning players is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Teen Town Recreation Center. New players will register on March 16. Age divisions are offered for 4-5 and 6-7. Proof of age is required at registration. Cost is $50. For details, call Heyward Christie at 754-3607. MARTIAL ARTS Gateway tourney on March 16 The inaugural Florida Gateway Challenge Open Martial Arts Tournament is 9 a.m. March 16 at Florida Gateway College. The event is sanctioned by the North American Sports Karate Association. Tickets are $5 (children ages 3 and under are free). For details, call Laura Lindboe at 623-0551 or Andy Horne at (352) 949-3669.Q From staff reports ASSOCIATED PRESSFloridas Casey Prather is fouled by Alabamas Levi Randolph (20) and Nick Jacobs (15) as he goes up for a shot during a game on Saturday. Florida won 64-52. Florida rallies to beat Alabama By MARK LONGAssociated PressGAINESVILLE  No. 8 Florida showed the kind of resiliency that could come in handy in the postseason. Casey Prather had 10 points and nine rebounds, most of them in the second half, and the Gators rallied from an eight-point deficit to beat Alabama 64-52 on Saturday. The Gators used a 15-0 run late in the second half  fueled by Prather  to pull away from the Crimson Tide and remain unbeaten (14-0) at home. Even though Florida won its 13 Southeastern Conference games by double digits, this one eas-ily could have gone the other way. Casey, thank God, gave us good minutes, coach Billy Donovan said. If he didnt play well, we prob-ably would have had a hard time winning the game. Erik Murphy led Florida (23-5, 13-3 SEC) with 15 points. Kenny Boynton added 13, and Scottie Wilbekin chipped in 11. But theres no doubt Prather was the key. He played relentless defense and was equally impres-sive on the other end. With Prather leading the way, Florida outscored Alabama 23-5 over the final 10 min-utes of the game. I was definitely trying to bring energy because we looked a little dead offen-sively and defensively, Prather said. Trevor Releford led the Tide (19-10, 11-5) with 12 points. Trevor Lacey and Nick Jacobs added 11 points apiece. Florida made just 2 of 13 shots from 3-point range, but made up for it by mak-ing 22 of 26 from the free-throw line. Alabama was 4 of 10 from the charity stripe. The Tide really went cold from the field, making just two baskets after tak-ing a 45-37 lead with 12:23 remaining. Youve got to be able to manufacture some offense, coach Anthony Grant said. We had opportunities that we let slip away. Missed shots, bad passes, charges, Alabama did a little bit of everything to give up the lead on the road. It was the complete opposite of what Alabama did right during a 14-4 run that put the Tide ahead. Defensively, we werent as locked in as we during Prather leads Gators during comeback win. GATORS continued on 3BBounce-back win JASON MATTHEW WALKER /Lake City ReporterColumbia Highs Hollianne Dohrn swings at a pitch whi le playing against Madison County Friday. Dohrn hit two h ome runs including a grand slam.Dohrn leads Lady Tigers over Madison CountyBy BRANDON FINLEYbfinley@lakecityreporter.comIf Columbia High was feeling the after-effects of its first loss this season, the Lady Tigers quickly disposed of any negatives against Madison County High on Friday. Columbia jumped out on the Cowgirls, 7-0, in the first inning on the way to a 15-0 win in four innings to get things back on track. After Kayli Kvistads double play to get the Lady Tigers out of the top half of the first inning, Columbias bats went to work. Tatum Morgan and Kvistad each reached on walks and Hollianne Dohrn started off a seven-RBI night with a three-run homer in the first inning to give Columbia a 3-0 lead. BRANDON FINLEY /Lake City ReporterColumbia Highs Harrison Shubert throws a pitch during the first inning against Wakulla High on Sunday.Tigers drop fifth game of seasonBy BRANDON FINLEYbfinley@lakecityreporter.comColumbia Highs start to the 2013 baseball season hasnt gone as expected and it didnt get any better on Saturday. The Tigers finished off a three-game stretch in three nights with their third loss in as many days. Wakulla High came into Lake City and handed the Tigers a 7-4 loss during the afternoon affair. Freshman Harrison Shubert got his first start in a varsity uniform against Wakulla and went 4 23 innings in the contest. He allowed three hits, walked three batters and struck out another. The freshman allowed four runs. Columbia started the game with a 1-0 lead Columbia falls to Wakulla High, 7-4, on Saturday. TIGERS continued on 3B CHS continued on 3B

Page Editor: Brandon Finley, 754-0420 LAKE CITY REPORTER SPORTS SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 3B3BSPORTS GATORS: Beat Alabama Continued From Page 1B CHS: Lady Tigers get bounce-back win on Friday Continued From Page 1B TIGERS: Fall to Wakulla on Saturday Continued From Page 1Bthat stretch, Lacey said. The Gators gladly took advantage en route to clinching a first-round bye in the SEC tournament. Florida can secure the No. 1 seed by winning one of its remaining two games or having Kentucky lose later Saturday. Donovan cared little about those accomplish-ments after the game. He was more concerned about his teams problems. Florida used a 12-0 run to open up a double-digit lead early in the game, making this look like it would be another lopsided affair. But the Gators stopped making shots and starting giving up baskets at every turn. It was concerning for Donovan because its the kind of emotional letdown he has tried to rid his team of the last two years. Instead of moving the ball and getting every-one involved, the Gators started taking ill-advised shots and trying to do too much. Weve deviated from who we are and weve got to get back to that, Donovan said. Getting healthy could help. Bench players Will Yeguete and Michael Frazier II returned from injuries but clearly werent at full strength. Yeguete missed six games follow-ing arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his right knee, and Frazier sat out Tuesday nights loss at Tennessee because of a concussion. Frazier also missed two days of practice this week with back spasms. Neither did much against the Tide. Yeguete missed both shots, had one rebound and one turnover in 11 lackluster minutes. Frazier missed his only shot and had a turnover in 6 min-utes. I couldnt get anything out of Frazier at all, Donovan said. And Yeguete tells me after the game that he was abso-lutely petrified going out there. Prather picked up the slack, a welcome sight for Florida since hes been banged up all season. He missed several games because of a concussion and a few more with a high-ankle sprain. He banged his head against the Volunteers, needed stiches above his left eye and created concern about another concussion. He passed all his baseline tests, though, and turned in one of his best perfor-mances in three years. I thought we were a little drained, Donovan said. JASON MATTHEW WALKER /Lake City ReporterColumbia Highs Kayli Kvistad throws to first base after g etting a runner from Madison County High out at second ba se during a game on Friday. The Lady Tigers then loaded the bases with Caliegh McCaulley reach-ing on a walk and Jessica Shimmel and Lauren Eaker reaching on base hits. With the bases loaded, Brittany Morgan drew a walk to score McCaulley for a 4-0 lead. Columbia batted around to the top of the order and Lacey King doubled to clear the bases and score Eaker, Shimmel and Brittany Morgan for a 7-0 lead after the first inning. Columbia was equally efficient in the field. With Ashley Shoup on the mound, the Lady Tigers held the Cowgirls to only two hits in the game. Madison Countys Hope Smith had a hit to begin the game and Rachell Webb had a hit in the second inning. Shoup finished the game with four innings of work to pick up the win. After a scoreless second inning, the Lady Tigers went back to work on the scoreboard during the third inning. It was the Lady Tigers second seven-run inning of the game. Columbias first run of the third came with another bases-loaded walk to score a run. Eaker, King and Tatum Morgan each reached on base hits, but no runners scored. Kvistad drew the second of three walks on the evening and scored Eaker to give Columbia the 8-0 lead. Dohrn followed with the rest of her seven RBIs in her next opportunity at the plate. Dohrn hit a Grand Slam to score King, Tatum Morgan and Kvistad and give Columbia a 12-0 lead. I told her that when shes hot she goes for the daily double, Columbia head coach Jimmy Williams said. She only hits home runs in twos. Columbia wasnt through in the third, however, and the Lady Tigers batted around for the second time on the night. Eaker picked up the third of her three hits on a 3-for-3 night at the plate to score McCaulley and Shimmel to give Columbia a 14-0 lead, but Columbia wasnt able to finish off the Cowgirls in only three innings. It would only take one more inning, however, and Erin Anderson did all the work. Anderson doubled, stole third and a wild throw into the outfield on the steal attempt allowed her to reach home for the 15-0 mercy rule in the fourth inning. Williams was happy with the way the Lady Tigers bounced back after their first loss of the season the night before especially at the plate. We had 10 RBIs between two players, Williams said. Thats awesome. The girls told me before the game that they were ready to get on another streak and I told them if we can win seven of every eight games, Ill be happy. Columbia has a chance to pick up three more wins next week. The Lady Tigers travel to Stanton Prep at 5 p.m. on Tuesday for a district contest. Columbia will play on back-to-back nights to end the week at home. The Lady Tigers host Suwannee High at 7 p.m. on Wednesday and take on Lafayette High at 7 p.m. on Thursday. through the first inning. Levi Hollingworth, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning, scored when Sam Bass reached on an error and Wakullas throw attempt to first base got away. Columbia held the 1-0 lead heading into the third inning, but Wakulla added two runs to take the lead. It was a lead it would not give up. Dalton Duggers ground ball to third scored Jeff Barnes off an error to tie the game 1-1. Bryon Nichols delivered a sacrifice fly to left field to score Micah Gray for the 2-1 lead. Columbia battled back in the bottom half of the inning with another run to tie the game at 2-2. Hollingsworth delivered a base knock to score Caleb Vaughn, who reached ear-lier in the inning on a base hit. Wakulla would retake the lead in the fourth inning when Barnes hit scored Bailey Metcalf for a 3-2 advantage. Wakulla added another run in the fifth with Jordan Franks scoring off a hit by Jay Estes. Most of Wakullas damage came in the sixth inning as three more runs scored. Gray doubled to score Dequan Simmons for a 5-2 lead and Dugger delivered a hit to score Gray. Franks finished the scoring for Wakulla off a wild pitch to take a 7-2 lead. Down five runs in their final time at the plate, Columbia didnt fold. Dalton Mauldin and Alex Milton each had hits to begin the inning. Shubert then delivered with a hit into the outfield to score Mauldin and Milton and cut Wakullas lead to 7-4. It was as close as the Tigers would come, how-ever, as the next two batters went down on strikes to end Columbias chances. The Tigers also lost, 105, against Lincoln High on Friday. The Tigers have two games next week with their first game against Valdosta High out of Georgia at 6 p.m. on Thursday. Columbia travels to Atlantic Coast High at 7 p.m. on Friday for a district contest with the Stingrays. Lady Tigers drop district contest against ForestBy BRANDON FINLEYbfinley@lakecityreporter.comColumbia Highs Lady Tigers tennis team is young this year, but coach Tabatha McMahon believes they are growing. Against one of the best teams in the Lady Tigers district, despite the courts being swept, McMahon saw some of that growth. We were missing our No. 3, Tori Jackson, so our No. 4 and No. 5 were playing up and really did a great job, McMahon said. Chase Broome and Haley Wheelers scores dont really reflect the multitude of times that they went to deuce in their games. Gimenez was down 1-6 and came back with a tremendous rally, but wasnt quite able to close it out. This just shows our ability and heart. Im proud and excited to continue to see where we grow. Heather Benson lost 2-8 in the No. 1 singles match, while Gimenez fell 7-9, Broome fell 4-8 and Wheeler fell 1-8. Shelby McRae fell 1-8 in the No. 5 singles match. In doubles, Benson and Gimenez fell 3-8 in the top-seeded doubles match while Broome and Wheeler fell 1-8 in their doubles match. Columbia hosts Gainesville High at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

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4B LAKE CITY REPORTER SPORTS SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 Page Editor: Brandon Finley, 754-04204BSportsTigers serving up the court JASON MATTHEW WALKER /Lake City ReporterColumbia Highs Octavious Buiey watches as the ball sa ils over the net during a doubles match against Vanguar d High. JASON MATTHEW WALKER /Lake City ReporterColumbia Highs Carter Jackson reaches for the ball wh ile playing against Vanguard High on Tuesday. JASON MATTHEW WALKER /Lake City ReporterGeorge Parker looks to score a point during a district match against Vanguard.JASON MATTHEW WALKER /Lake City ReporterBrandon LaVance approaches the net as he attempts to make an easy score. JASON MATTHEW WALKER /Lake City ReporterColumbia Highs Tejas Jivan returns a serve while pl aying against Vanguard High on Tuesday.

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Page Editor: Brandon Finley, 754-0420 LAKE CITY REPORTER SPORTS SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 5B5BSportsLady Tigers net gains JASON MATTHEW WALKER /Lake City ReporterColumbia Highs Chase Broome returns a serve while p laying a singles match against Buchholz High Tuesday. JASON MATTHEW WALKER /Lake City ReporterColumbia Highs Heather Benson eyes her opponent as s he returns a serve. JASON MATTHEW WALKER /Lake City ReporterPaula Gimeniz eyes the ball as it sails across the cou rt during a singles match against Buchholz High.JASON MATTHEW WALKER /Lake City ReporterColumbia Highs Paula Gimeniz waits to strike the ball across the court during a match against Buchholz High on Tuesday. JASON MATTHEW WALKER /Lake City ReporterTori Jackson waits for the ball to reach her during a m atch against Buchholz High on Tuesday.

By TONY BRITTtbritt@lakecityreporter.comN o one is going to get famous by flushing a toilet, but local group has devised a way to get a profit from making other people flush away an obnoxious Purple Potty. However, a Columbia County Relay for Life team has enlisted the used of a Purple Potty to secure funds for the American Cancer Society. The Lake City Middle School Relay For Life team has been collecting donations to have a sealed purple commode placed at local businesses and homes as a fundraiser. When the Purple Potty is placed at someones home or business, the per-son can flush the potty to the next person. After two days of having the Purple Potty, the person can pay $25 to have it left at a friends place of business or yard. People can also pay $15 to have the potty immedi-ately removed. Kate Tyre, a Lake City Middle School reception-ist and the schools Relay For Life team captain, said the schools team held a successful cake auction in February and they were looking for another fundraising idea that was non-traditional when Tyre learned about the Purple Potty. I wanted to do something fun and a little dif-ferent, she said. I looked the Relay for Life Web site and found the Purple Potty and said thats something we can do thats fun. The potty was delivered to its first business Wednesday, Feb. 27. I already have five people on my list for it to go to, Tyre said. Ive received a fabulous response from every-body Ive mentioned it to. Everybody really thinks its a wonderful idea and they try to send it to friends. Its kind of a fun way to be able to challenge people to donate to such a great cause as Relay for Life. Everybody that gets the Purple Potty has the opportunity to send it to another business or their friend. It can go to a persons home and well put it in their yard, or at the business and Ill put it outside the business or in the office, Tyre said. The Lake City Middle Schools fundraising goal is $3,000 and the campaign will run until April 26, when the Relay For Life ceremony is held. Well have the Purple Potty at our campsite dur-ing the event, Tyre said. For Purple Potty removal services or to schedule to have it taken to its next step call Kate Tyre at 758-4800 (day) or 497-4789 (evening). Lake City Reporter Week of March 3-9, 2013 www.lakecityreporter.com Section C Columbia, Inc. Your marketplace source for Lake City and Columbia County1CColumbia Inc. Kooky fundraiser, great cause JASON MATTHEW WALKER/ Lake City ReporterThe Lake City Reporter staff poses next to the Purp le Potty, a decorated toilet used to help raise fun ds for the Lake City Middle School Relay-for-Life t eam. Pictured are (front row, from left) ad director The resa Westberry, circulation clerk Amber Anderson, a ccounting clerk Vickie Busscher, account executive Eileen Bennett, (back row) reporter Derek Gilliam, circula tion director Mandy Brown, composers Christine Dave nport and Emma Graham and Associate Editor Jim Barr LCMS team hoping to flush away cancer. ASSOCIATED PRESSDietz Werland works on the assembly line at the Chr ysler transmission plat in Kokomo, Ind. A surge in manufacturing growth in February spurred h opes the economy can withstand the negative effects of tax increases and government spendi ng cuts inflicted by politicians.Jump in factory growth lifts hopes for economyBy CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABERAP Economics WriterWASHINGTON  Busier factories and grow-ing optimism among con-sumers could help the U.S. economy withstand the drag from government spending cuts and tax increases this year. Manufacturing grew in February at the fastest pace in 20 months, accord-ing to a report Friday from the Institute for Supply Management. And a sur-vey from the University of Michigan showed that con-sumer sentiment rose last month to its highest level since November. The two reports follow other data that show strength in job growth and the housing market. Americans even spent a bit more in January compared with December, despite a sharp drop in income that partly reflected higher taxes. Consumers are spending, confidence is rising and manufacturing activ-ity is accelerating, Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors, said in a note to clients. Just about all of todays reports Factory output increased sharply during February. ECONOMY continued on 2C

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By SAM HANANELAssociated PressWASHINGTON  Union membership plum-meted last year to the low-est level since the 1930s as cash-strapped state and local governments shed workers and unions had difficulty organizing new members in the private sector despite signs of an improving economy. Government figures showed union member-ship declined from 11.8 percent to 11.3 percent of the workforce, another blow to a labor movement already stretched thin by battles in Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and other states to curb bar-gaining rights and weaken union clout. Overall membership fell by about 400,000 workers to 14.4 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. More than half the loss, about 234,000, came from government workers, including teach-ers, firefighters and public administrators. But unions also saw losses in the private sector even as the economy cre-ated 1.8 million new jobs in 2012. That membership rate fell from 6.9 percent to 6.6 percent, a troubling sign for the future of orga-nized labor, as job growth generally has taken place at nonunion companies. To employers, its going to look like the labor movement is ready for a knockout punch, said Gary Chaison, profes-sor of industrial relations at Clark University in Worcester, Mass. You cant be a movement and get smaller. Union membership was 13.2 percent in 1935 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act. Labors ranks peaked in the 1950s, when about 1 of every 3 workers was in a union. By 1983, roughly 20 percent of U.S. workers were union members. Losses in the public sector are hitting unions particularly hard because that has been one of the few areas where member-ship had grown over the past two decades. About 51 percent of union mem-bers work in government, where the rate of union membership is 37 per-cent, more than five times higher than in the private sector. Until recently, there had been little resistance to unions organizing government workers. But that began to change when Republican Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin signed a law in 2011 elimi-nating most union rights for government workers. The state lost about 46,000 union members last year, the vast majority in the public sector. The recession that began in 2008 also led to much deeper cuts in state and local government than any previous recession, according to a report this month from the Nelson Rockefeller Institute of Government at the State University of New York at Albany. Since August 2008, state government employment has declined by 135,000, while local government employment fell by 546,000. Teachers unions were among the hard-est hit, with the ranks of unionized public school teachers and educators falling by 123,000 last year. Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association, the nations largest teachers union, accused politicians who cut public educa-tion funding of inflict-ing tremendous harm to our nations 50 million students and risking our childrens future. Despite the steady membership decline, unions remain a potent political force because of the money they spend helping union-friendly candidates seeking public office. Unions spent more than $400 million during the 2012 election cycle to support President Barack Obamas re-election, keep a Democratic majority in the Senate and aid other state and local candidates. 2C LAKE CITY REPORTER BUSINESS WEEK OF SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 2CBIZ/MOTLEY ECONOMY: Factories surge Continued From Page 1Cpoint to an economy on the rise. Businesses and consumers appear to be shrugging off changes in federal poli-cy that will likely slow the still-weak economy. In January, Congress and the White House struck a deal that allowed Social Security taxes to rise on most Americans. The deal also raised income taxes for the nations top earners. And across-the-board spending cuts are set to begin Friday. The cuts could reduce government purchases and lead to tem-porary layoffs of govern-ment employees and con-tractors. Theyre expected to shave about a half-per-centage point from eco-nomic growth this year. Many Americans are tired of the political wran-gling and bickering, Chris Christopher, an economist at IHS Global Insight, said. A certain level of political crisis fatigue has set in. The economic data Friday was mostly positive: Q The Institute for Supply Management said its index of factory activ-ity rose last month to 54.2, the highest since June 2011. Any reading above 50 indicates growth. The report showed a jump in new orders, higher produc-tion and more hiring at fac-tories. Manufacturing has grown for three straight months, indicating that fac-tories could help the econo-my after slumping through most of 2012. Q The University of Michigan measure of con-sumer sentiment rose to 77.6, the second straight monthly increase. The rebound in consumer con-fidence, seen in both the Michigan survey and anoth-er survey from Conference Board, suggests that some consumers have begun to adjust to smaller pay-checks. Q Consumers increased spending 0.2 percent in January from December but cut back on major pur-chases such as autos and appliances. Income plunged 3.6 percent, though it fol-lowed a jump in December driven by dividends and bonuses paid early to avoid higher income taxes. The increase in Social Security taxes also lowered after-tax income. Q Spending on U.S. construction projects fell in January by the largest amount in 18 months, the Commerce Department said. Still, that the decline followed a nearly 10 per-cent increase in construc-tion spending in 2012, the first annual gain after five years of declines. Investors seemed to focus Friday on the gains in manufacturing. Stocks rebounded after the ISM survey was released. The Dow Jones industrial aver-age closed up 35 points, overcoming an early loss of 116 points. One reason for optimism is that the job market is looking better. Employers have added an average of 200,000 jobs a month from November through January. That was up from about 150,000 in the previous three months. And a drop in weekly appli-cations for unemployment benefits suggests that employers have stepped up hiring further in February. Some employers are even willing to pay more: After stagnating since the recession ended, hourly pay has been rising faster than inflation for the past three months. If such pay increases continue, they will help blunt the impact of the higher Social Security taxes. Unions suffer sharp decline in membership during 2012 ASSOCIATED PRESS FILEThis scene during unsuccessful protests at the state Capitol in Madison, Wis., in February 2012 by unionized state employees was just one example of the decline of labor unions last year. The nations labor unions suffered sharp declines in membership last year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said, led by losses in the public sec tor as cash-strapped state and local governments laid off workers and  in some cases  li mited collective bargaining rights.

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By DEE-ANN DURBINAP Auto WritersDETROIT  Americans want new cars and trucks, and theyre not letting high-er gas prices or political dysfunction stand in their way. New car and truck sales were up 4 percent in February as rising home construction and cheap financing kept the U.S. auto recovery on track. While the pace of growth is slowing, industry ana-lysts expect more gains in the coming months, say-ing theres little that could derail demand for new cars. Car buyers have already shrugged off higher Social Security taxes, which cut their take-home pay start-ing in January. Gas prices  which rose 36 cents to $3.78 per gallon in February  didnt change their habits, either. And they ignored the debate over automatic spending cuts that were due to take effect Friday. Quite frankly, we think most of America is get-ting a little tired of hearing about some of the dysfunc-tion, said Kurt McNeil, General Motors Co.s U.S. sales chief. We think the fundamentals are strong and thats whats important, and thats whats driving the economy. February sales hit an annualized rate of 15.4 mil-lion cars and trucks. Thats still short of the recent peak of close to 17 million in 2005, but its quite healthy compared with the anemic 10.4 million recorded dur-ing the recession in 2009. The industry isnt likely to see the double-digit monthly gains it saw last year, when Japanese auto-makers came roaring back after the 2011 earthquake in Japan. Instead, auto com-panies are settling in for a period of slower but sus-tained growth. All of the automakers are in good, strong posi-tions, so its harder to get those share gains, said Lacey Plache, chief econo-mist with the auto buying site Edmunds.com. Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting for LMC Automotive, a Detroit forecasting firm, raised his full-year sales forecast Friday from 15.1 million to 15.2 million. He said U.S. spending cuts could impact auto sales toward the end of the year, but he doesnt expect that to happen. Beyond that or some other external shock, I think its full-speed ahead, Schuster said. Truck sales boomed in February as more new homes were built. McNeil said GMs pickup sales to small businesses were up 40 percent from a year ago, which is a strong signal of confidence in the underly-ing economy. This is probably the beginning of the strong comeback of trucks that were going to see for the rest of year, said Jesse Toprak, a senior industry analyst with the car buying site TrueCar.com. To keep up that momentum, GM announced that it will offer free scheduled maintenance for two years or 24,000 miles on its full-size Chevrolet and GMC trucks. The offer runs through April. GMs sales rose 7 percent to their highest February level since 2008. Chevrolet Silverado pickup sales jumped 29 percent, which helped make up for faltering sales of cars like the Chevrolet Malibu and Cruze. Ford Motor Co.s sales increased 9 percent. Ford reported a 15-percent gain for its F-Series pickups, which are the best-sell-ing vehicles in the U.S. The company also posted record February totals for the Escape SUV and Fusion sedan. Fusion sales were up 28 percent and Escape sales rose 29 percent. Ford said it plans to increase North American production by 9 percent in the second quarter com-pared with the same period in 2012. Toyotas sales were up just over 4 percent, with strong sales of the RAV4 small SUV and Avalon large sedan. Tundra pickup sales also jumped 16 percent. Despite higher gas prices, sales of the Prius hybrid were down 13.5 percent. Plache said buyers are getting used to paying nearly $4 per gallon at the pump. Gas prices have topped $3.90 per gallon in each of the past two years. People go right back to what they were buying before. They start buying big stuff again, she said. Sales of the Ford Explorer midsize SUV, for example, were up 59 percent and nearly outsold the Prius. Hondas sales fell 2 percent. Sales of the new Accord jumped 35 percent, but that couldnt offset big declines for the CR-V cross-over and Civic small car. Automakers spent less on discounts and deals, which cut into their profits and brand image. Discounts in February averaged $2,392 per vehicle, down almost 4 percent from a year ago, TrueCar said. But low interest rates offset that. The average four-year auto loan has a 2.5 percent interest rate, according to Bankrate.com. Thats about half of what it was five or six years ago. On a $20,000 loan, that means a monthly payment of $438, down $23 from a 5 percent loan. Geoff Pohanka, who runs 13 auto dealer-ships in the Virginia and Maryland suburbs around Washington, said he didnt see any ill effects from the budget debate last month  even though hes in an area that could be hit hard by government employee furloughs. We feel pretty good about the spring, he said. By PETER SVENSSONAP Technology WriterBARCELONA, Spain  Mobile money may seem like a hot con-cept, but consumers arent warm-ing to it. At the worlds largest cellphone trade show, here in Barcelona this week, the 70,000 attend-ees are encouraged to use their cellphones instead their key-cards to get past the turnstiles at the door. But very few people took the chance to do that. The process of setting up the phone to act as a keycard proved too much of a hassle. Its a poor omen for an industry thats eager to have the cellphone replace both tickets and credit cards. Companies are building chips antennas into phones that let the gadgets interact with tap to pay terminals and other devic-es equipped with short-range sensors, like subway turnstiles. But getting the technology to do something useful and convinc-ing people to adopt it is a slow process. To make a payment in a store with your cellphone, you need a lot of things to align, said Reed Peterson, who heads the Near-Field Communications ini-tiative for the GSM Association, a global trade group for the wire-less industry. The phone needs to be properly equipped with NFC hardware and software; the store needs to have the proper equip-ment and training. The phone company needs to support the transaction, and banks and pay-ment processors need to be in on it. Some of these things have fallen into place, Peterson said, but the network of commercial agreements that supports these payments needs to expand. And consumer demand remains elu-sive. I want to get to the point where the consumer goes into the store and says Show me only the phones that have NFC, Peterson said. Today, a buyer is quite likely to go into a store and ask for an iPhone, and thats an obstacle to NFC adoption. Apple Inc. is the lone holdout among major smart-phone makers, and hasnt built NFC into any of its devices yet. Visa, the global payments network, announced a coup at the show: it has struck a deal with Samsung Electronics to take charge of the secure element in the next flagship phone from the South Korean company. The Galaxy S IV is expected to be launched at an event in New York on Mar. 14, though the name has not been confirmed. The secure element is sort of like a safe inside the phone. Whoever controls access to it decides which credit cards, tran-sit passes or other verified docu-ments the phone can store. A bank that wants to let customers use their Samsung smartphones as virtual credit cards will have to go through Visa. Control of the secure element is a crucial battleground for NFC. The GSMA, which is dominated by cellphone carriers, advocates putting the secure element not in the phone itself, but in the sub-scriber identity module, or SIM card, which plugs into the phone to identify the user and supply a phone number to the network. SIM cards are issued and con-trolled by the carriers who would like to be the ones in control of the secure element. While Visa, phone companies and Google (which has its own payment initiative) duel over the secure element, eBay Inc.s PayPal is wondering what all the fuss is about. The online payment network thinks NFC is a lot more trouble than its worth. The com-pany isnt afraid to say so at the wireless industry tradeshow. If you want to change something, you have to solve problems that people have in everyday life, said David Marcus, the president of PayPal. Its not like everyone is thinking Oh, I wish someone came up with something better than paper money and credit cards. PayPal is putting a lot of effort into making cellphones central to the way we shop, but is focus-ing on the shopping experience itself, rather than payments. The companys ideal vision for buying a cup of coffee: You pull out your phone on the way to the store, fire up PayPals app to order your double-skim latte and pay for it in advance. When you arrive at the counter, the barista has your picture and your coffee, and gives it to you right away. Then youre out the door. Thirty years ago, Marcus said, store clerks knew the people in their neighborhood and greeted them by name. We think with this technology, we could recreate that per-sonal connection, he said. We feel this is going to leapfrog the efforts of NFC. LAKE CITY REPORTER BUSINESS WEEK OF SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 3CCompanies find mobile money a hard sellTECHNOLOGY Consumers slow to warm up to idea of digital payment.ASSOCIATED PRESSA man uses the NFC payment Visa system at the Mobile Worl d Congress, the worlds largest mobile phone trade show, in Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday. Companies are finding it difficult to convince consumers to buy into mobile money. ASSOCIATED PRESSETrader John Panin works on the floor of the New York S tock Exchange. Stocks ended the week higher, despite the federa l budget cuts taking effect.US auto sales power aheadBy MATTHEW CRAFTAP Business WriterNEW YORK  An encouraging manufactur-ing report nudged the stock market higher Friday, giving it a slight gain for the week, even as a dead-line for avoiding sweeping government spending cuts loomed. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 35.17 points, or 0.3 percent, to close at 14,089.66. It was down as much as 117 points in early trading but recovered following news that U.S. manufactur-ing expanded in February at the fastest pace since June 2011. The Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing index reached 54.2, up from Januarys reading of 53.1. Any reading above 50 signals growth. President Barack Obama summoned con-gressional leaders to the White House for a meeting aimed at avoiding the $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts set to kick in Friday. The cuts are part of a 10-year, $1.5 trillion deficit reduction plan that was designed to be so dis-tasteful to both Democrats and Republicans that they would be forced to drum up a longer-term budget deal. Any agreement between the White House and Congress on the spending cuts could drive the market up next week, regard-less of whether investors consider it a good deal or not, said Stephen Carl, head equity trader at The Williams Capital Group in New York. The lack of clarity is the problem, he said. I think it will be a positive for the market just as long as theres concrete news. In other Friday trading, the Standard & Poors 500 index rose 3.52 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,518.20. The Nasdaq composite gained 9.55 points, 0.3 per-cent, to 3,169.74. All three indexes ended higher for the week: The Dow rose 0.6 percent, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq each rose about 0.2 percent. The Dow came within 15 points of its record close of 14,164 on Thursday before sliding back and ending the day lower. Oil and gas companies fell Friday as the price of crude sank to its lowest level of the year. Halliburton, Peabody Energy and other energy stocks were among the big-gest losers in the S&P 500. Benchmark U.S. crude oil dropped below $91 a bar-rel. Americans incomes fell 3.6 percent in January, the worst one-month drop in 20 years, the Commerce Department said Friday. U.S. consumers increased spending modestly in January but cut back on major purchases. Stocks close higher despite budget cuts ASSOCIATED PRESSMeredith Havens looks at Volkswagens at a dealership i n Richardson, Texas. Industry analysts expect Februarys sales to be up about 7 percen t from a year earlier as pentup demand and cheap financing kept the U.S. auto sales re covery powering along. Volkswagen reported its best February since 1973.

By DEREK GILLIAM dgilliam@lakecityreporter.com N ot often does a Columbia County elementary student repre sent the state at a national event, but a fifth-grader at Westside Elementary will. Thomas Beardsley was the sole Floridian selected to sing at the Organization of American Kodaly Educators National Conference held in Hartford, Conn. Thomas chorus teacher at Westside, Cynthia Tickel, said the 10-yearold has been singing in music class for years, but only recently joined the chorus at the school. He has a very clear singing voice, and for his age, a very wide range, Tickel said. Thomas said he will sing as an alto at the OAKE conference March 23. A total of 458 elementa ry, middle and high school students from across the United States were select ed to participate in four choirs at the conference Childrens Choir, Youth Choir, Concert Womens Choir and Chamber Ensemble. The students were chosen from 143 cities and 32 states. In Connecticut, they will participate in four days of intensive rehears als. The Childrens Choir will also sing before the start of the 5K Sandy Hook Run for the Families to honor the victims of the Sandy Hook school shoot ing. The race is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. on the same day as the OAKE conference and will be held about half a mile from the conference hotel. Thomas mother, Christine Beardsley, said he hasnt been performing in front of people for long, but sang in the shower sometimes and loves music. His teachers picked up on the fact he could really If you have an orthopedic injury, its good to know that quality care is available right here in Lake City. Lake City Bone and Joint offers treatment for a wide range of orthopedic issues. From sports injuries to carpel tunnel syndrome to rotator cuff injuries to arthroscopic hip, knee and shoulder surgery, Lake City Bone and Joint is ready for you. To schedule an appointment, call 386-755-9720 3140 NW Medical Center Lane, Suite 130, Lake City, FL 32055 Dr. Jeffrey Glenn is Lake Citys only board-certied Orthopedic Surgeon who is fellowship-trained in joint replacement surgery. www.LCBoneandJoint.com Excellence. I B... J. Excellence. I B... J. LCM-3109 Physician Ads 5.25x10_L7.indd 1 8/15/12 11:53:29 AM LIFE Sunday, March 3, 2013 www.lakecityreporter.com Section D Story ideas? Contact Robert Bridges Editor 754-0428 rbridges@lakecityreporter.com Lake City Reporter 1DLIFE 1DLIFE Seating is Limited today to reserve your seat Call (904) 268-EYES (3937) FREE Advanced Lasik Seminar Attend and you will be entitled to: Lasik Evaluation worth $300* Discount certicate for ($500 per eye) on any scheduled Lasik Procedure If you are nearsighted, farsighted have astigmatism or wear reading glasses Dont Miss This Seminar! Thursday, March 7th 7:00-8:00 p.m. at The patient and any other person responsible for payment has a right to refuse to pay, cancel payment, or be reimbursed for payment for any other service, examination or treatment that is performed as a result of and within 72 hours of responding to the advertisement for free, discounted fee or reduced fee service, examination or treatment C arole Keuppers of McAlpin wrote to us on our email address and suggested we try All Decked Out in Live Oak. From her description of the specials, we were anxious to give it a try. So, Carol Sheridan joined us and we did. Located next to the courthouse at 302 S. Ohio Ave., it is at the site of an old filling station. Outdoor seating is planned for out front when the weather improves. The atmosphere is beachy eclectic to match the name, with a surfboard on one wall and other beach memorabilia scat tered about. Small lamps on the tables added a spe cial touch. Creative dining spot in Live Oak High-grade singer NATIONAL HONOR COURTESY PHOTO Westside Elementary School fifth-grader Thomas Beardsley is the only Floridian selected to sing at the Organization of American Kodaly Educators National Conference in Hartford, Conn., March 23. He will be traveling there with his chorus teacher, Cynthia Tickel (right), and his mother, Christine Beardsley. Local fifth-grader picked to sing at national event. Genie Norman and Mary Kay Hollingsworth TasteBuddiesLakeCity@gmail.com TASTE BUDDIES How to help Donations toward Thomas Beardsleys trip expenses can be made at any First Federal Bank of Florida location. SINGER continued on 2D TASTE continued on 3D

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Autum Newberry Neal McDaniel set wedding date Roger and Lisa Newberry of Lake City are pleased to announce the approaching marriage of their daughter, Autumn Lynn Newberry, to Neal Franklin McDaniel, son of Danny and Ellen McDaniel of Wytheville, Va. Autumn is the grand daughter of Hubert and Carol Pennington of Pinetta and Florence Newberry and the late James Newberry of Madison. Autumn gradu ated from Columbia High School in 2003. She earned her bachelor of science degree in accounting from the University of North Florida in 2007 and received her M.B.A. from the University of North Florida in 2008. She is employed with Fidelity Investments in Jacksonville. Neal is the grandson of the late Paul and Madge Breeding and the late W.C. and Radie McDaniel all of Wytheville, Va. Neal gradu ated from George Wythe High School in 2001. He earned both of bachelors degrees in business mar keting and management and management finance in 2005 from Virginia Tech University and received his masters degree in sports marketing administration from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2007. He is employed as a financial advisor with Edward Jones Investments in Fleming Island. The couple will be married at the Historic Casa Marina Hotel and Restaurant in Jacksonville Beach on March 16. 2D LAKE CITY REPORTER LIFE SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 Page Editor: Jim Barr, 754-0424 2DLIFE Stop by the Lake City Reporter for your complimentary engagement package. Aisle Style Complimentary Engagement Package Sweetwater Branch Inn 800-595-7760 Wards Jewelry & Gifts 752-5470 Camp Weed Cerveny Conference Center 386-364-5250 GeGees Studio 758-2088 Holiday Inn 754-1411, ext. 106 March 2013 Scheduled blood drives. Times and dates subject to change. Call Tony at (386)466-2822 if you cannot nd us. Date Location Time 1 Florida State Prison 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 2 Home & Patio Show 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 3 Home & Patio Show 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 4 Winn Dixie 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. 5 Hardees 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 5 Anderson Columbia 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. 6 Ring Power 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 6 Subway on SR47 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. 7 Union Correctional Staff 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 8 Columbia Correctional Staff 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. 9 Fast Track Foods Lake Butler 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 9 Lake City Internet Services 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. 10 Guangdong 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 11 Walmart (every other Monday) 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. 12 Hardees at Lake City Mall 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 12 UPS by the Airport 4:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. 13 Windsong Apartments 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. 13 Hopeful Baptist Church 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. 14 Columbia Bank SR47 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 14 Columbia Bank Downtown 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. 15 Beef OBradys 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 15 Gateway Pro Rodeo 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. 16 Gateway Pro Rodeo 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. 17 Gateway Pro Rodeo 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. 18 Winn Dixie 11 .am. To 6 p.m. 19 Windsor Arms 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. 20 Shands Lake Shore 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 21 Columbia Eye Associates 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. 21 Players Club 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. 22 Lake City Correctional Staff 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 23 Wendys Ellisville 11 .am. To 5 p.m. 24 Christ Central Ministries 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 25 Walmart (every other Monday) 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. 26 Winn Dixie 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. 27 Hardees at Lake City Mall 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 29 Tractor Supply 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 29 Cinema 90 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. 30 Christ Central Lake Butler 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 31 Columbia County Fairgrounds 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. HAPPENINGS Births Truett Michael Grene Michael Greene and Kaylen Brehm of Lake City have welcomed a son, Truett Michael Greene. The infant was born Oct. 23 at North Florida Regional Medical Center. He weighed 3 pounds, 3 ounces and was 15 3/4 inches long. Trett has two siblings, Kyndall Reed, 9, and Trenton Davis, 6. His grandparents are Bob and Olivia Greene, Tony and Joyce Bertolotti and Gary Brehm. Great-grandparents include Mary Etta Feagle and the late Cline Fleagle; Anna Green and the late Robert Greene; Caroline and Joe Brown; and Virginia Brehm and the late Alvin Brehm. Case James Harper Jade Ryan Nichols and Dylan Reed Harper of Mayfield, Ky., have welcomed a son, Case James Harper. The infant was born Feb. 1. He weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. Grandparents are Karla and Thomas Nichols of Mayfield, Ky., and Deana Harper and James Harper, both of Lake City. COURTESY PHOTO Truett Michael Greene. COURTESY PHOTO Autumn Newberry and Neal McDaniel. Rings celebrate 71st anniversary Mr. and Mrs. C. Buford Ring of Lake City recently celebrated their 71st wed ding anniversary. Charles Buford Ring and Stella Litton were married Feb. 19, 1942, in St. Paul, Va. Buford served in the Army during World War II and the Korean War, receiving two Bronze Star medals. They moved to Lake City in 1974 after Buford retired from Clinchfield Coal Co. in Dante, Va. Buford worked for OXY of White Springs until his retirement in 1985. They have three chil dren: Nancy Charlene Ring of Lake City; Susan Ring (Wynn) Hasty of Colonial Heights, Va.; and Chuck (Joy) Ring of Lebanon, Va. They have six grandchil dren and one great-grand child. COURTESY PHOTO Stella and Buford Ring recently celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary. Together with their families, Bobbie Hartsfield and Jim (J.W.) Watkins request the honor of your presence at their marriage at 6 p.m. on Saturday at the American Legion in Lake City. Bobbie Hartsfield, Jim Watkins to wed Saturday COURTESY PHOTO Bbbie Hartsfield and Jim Watkins. Bourbon trail proves poplular Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. A record-breaking 500,000plus people visited distill eries along Kentuckys bour bon trail in 2012, marking a 15 percent increase over the year before. The director of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tourism attraction said in a news release Monday that the new attendance record was 509,292. It is the first time since the trail opened in 1999 that the number of visitors broke the half-mil lion mark. Adam Johnson says visi tors came from all 50 states and more than 50 countries. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is a tour that features six whiskey major distilleries in five different cities, includ ing Four Roses and Wild Turkey in Lawrenceburg. sing, she said. Kodaly, pronounced ko-DAY-lee, is a style of music that focuses on the voice. Thomas plays guitar, but because of his selec tion to the Children Chior, he has been hard at work perfecting his singing voice. Every single Tuesday I practice with my teach er, Thomas said. Every chance I get, I try to prac tice, practice, practice. If anybody wants to sing, they should try and prac tice until you get better. He said he first sang in front of people at his church, and it made him a little nervous. I didnt want to sing because Im was not a big fan of singing in front of people, he said. Tickel said he quickly overcame stage fright and performs well in front of people. It doesnt faze him at all, she said. While the honor of performing in the chior is great, the trip will be expensive. Tickel, Chirstine Beardsley and Thomas will have to fly to Connecticut on March 19. The registration fee was $220, the plane ticket was $250 and the hotel is $149 a night, Chirstine Beardsley said. She said theres no money in the school dis tricts budget to send stu dents to national music conferences. A benefit account has been created at First Federal Bank, and if enough money is raised, she said, the excess funds will be left with Tickel to for future students. Thomas said he doesnt think about the finances. He just likes to sing. I feel good because when I sing, it makes me happy, and singing makes people happy, he said. SINGER: Student excels Continued From Page 1D Record numbers visit Florida during 2012 Associated Press TALLAHASSEE Floridas tourism market ing corporation is report ing a record 89.3 million visitors came to the state in 2012. Officials said that the number of visitors in Florida last year repre sented an increase of 2.3 percent over 2011 when 87.3 million people visited. Visit Florida, the states marketing arm, estimated in its annual report that 10.2 million overseas visitors and 3.6 million Canadians came to the Sunshine State in 2012. The firms said tourismand recreation-related tax able sales increased 6.9 percent. The agency reported the number of domestic visi tors to Florida increased by 1.2 percent while more than 20 million Floridians took vacations inside the states borders.

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Several appetizers sounded appealing, includ-ing mussels sauted in gar-lic, butter and white wine sauce for $8.99; the chefs choice egg roll or fried pickles for $3.99; chicken wings, chicken quesadilla, etc. We settled on fried pickles and the egg roll, and this one turned out to be a surprise. It was called Hillbilly Eggroll (2) and was fried crispy hot with delicious pulled pork filling the inside, served with a barbecue sauce on the side. The fried pickles were different from others weve had. They were dill spears cut into chunks, battered and fried. It was a huge serving  and deli-cious. Specials live up to their names. Happy Pooch Dog is a sausage dog wrapped in bacon, deep fried and topped with sauted onions and melted cheese, with one side ($6.25). Hawaiian grilled cheese with thick-sliced honey ham, pineapple and Swiss cheese melted together on a hoagie roll, finished in a sandwich press, with one side was $7.25. Genie tried the shrimp po boy special, which was a very large serving of small shrimp but not pop-corn shrimp, that were bat-tered and fried to a crispy finish. There were easily 20 shrimp on the buttered and toasted hoagie, and this was topped with a fried green tomato slice and a delicious, homemade remolade sauce. Really, really good. The flaming Tiki burger sounded tempting, with pineapple, pepper jack cheese and jalapenos. Instead, we tried the Aloha burger. It was a half-pound, fresh patty with teriyaki glaze, grilled pineapple ring and melted Swiss cheese ($8.99, with side). Huge, juicy and delicious. Sides choices were numerous, including maca-roni and cheese, cheese grits, hushpuppies, corn cobbettes, sauted green beans, cole slaw, fries, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy and broccoli. The dinner menu looks appealing, with mostly seafood choices. There are two beef choices, Decked Out Meatloaf and Open Faced Hot Roast Beef. Its not your usual sea-food menu, as it includes shrimp and grits ($9.99), mussels scampi ($11.99) and a very interesting shrimp pasta with hand battered shrimp, sauted mushrooms, diced toma-toes and roasted sweet red peppers tossed with pasta in a basil-garlic cream sauce ($13.99). On Friday nights, there is all-you-can-eat fried catfish for $10.99. Desserts are made fresh daily and include cakes and pies. We didnt have room for dessert but took home a piece of double chocolate cake with thick chocolate icing and peanut butter cups chopped on top. Needless to say, it, too, was delicious. Owners are Robin, her son Richard and daughter-in-law Tiffany. They moved here from Sebastian, sev-eral years ago. They were attentive, efficient and very interested in making this a favorite dining spot for our area. Richard is the chef, and Robin makes all the des-serts. Wine and beer will be available in the spring. This was an all-round good dining experience. So, give it a try. Hours are Monday and Tuesday 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday through Friday 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays 4 to 9 p.m. It is closed Sundays. Telephone number is (386) 362-7752. Page Editor: Jim Barr, 754-0424 LAKE CITY REPORTER LIFE SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 3D3DLIFE CathleenS ticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. That saying isnt always true. When people bully others, words are meant to hurt. Everyone says ignore it and they will go away. It doesnt work like that. The bully will eventually come back. What works is to stand up for yourself. Just because youre being bullied doesnt mean you should let them push you around. If you like and feel good about yourself then show it. The bully will soon realize that you arent going to be pushed around and stop bullying you. Bullying isnt just physical. Saying mean things to someone is bullying also. KaylaB ullying. Its more than a word. Its a person. People have all of these ways to get rid of them. To keep it short, they dont work. Bullies, they dont hit you and steal your lunch money like you see in cartoons. I know because Ive been there. When I was younger, I was bullied by some older kids. They didnt like the fact that I read over my grade level. They would take my books, or pick on me about my weight. Sometimes the bullying isnt verbal or physical. It would be a rude glance. Of course, I did what they taught every 6-year-old to do: I told an adult, who then had a talk with the group of kids. That didnt stop them; in fact it made it worse. So, I finally had to leave that place. The moral of this story is bullying isnt something that fits perfect-ly in between the lines that society has laid out. Bullying can be text messages, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, verbal, physical or just ignoring you. MadisonD id you know that most people on this earth have been a victim of bullying, or is a bully? Some people think that if you ignore them, they will stop. But that isnt necessarily true. Most bullies are mean because they are either jealous of you, or they feel superior to you. I have always been bullied because of what I wear; because not everything I wear has Aero or Abercrombie written on it. I used to get really upset over it, until I met this girl. She is 12 years old and she doesnt care what people say about her. She just laughs it off. You may think you are the only one who is being bullied, but youre not. Most people are being bullied, but they dont show it. You may think you have friends, but it is the people who you can count on to help you, through thick and thin, who will stay with you no matter what. Those are the people, like Cathleen, that are your true friends; they are the people you want to hang around with. BrandyB ullying, in my eyes, is a huge issue. I was bullied when I was younger for not being the right size and not having the right clothes. So, of course I know first-hand how much it can hurt. I think that sometimes people who get bullied are scared to say anything because of their pride or because they dont want to be called a snitch. However, I dont think those are good reasons. I, for one, am glad that in our school system we have a link on the school website where you can anonymously report bullying that happens to you or another student. I know, also from experience, that when people tell you to ignore it that its hard. So, one easy way to get rid of it is to make a point to stay away from whoever is causing the problems and to let people know that its happening.Bullying is more common than many people believeBy JENNIFER FORKERAssociated PressWe focus so much energy turning a house into a home, we some-times forget to aim our decorating genius in another notable direc-tion: the office cubicle. Home often expresses who we are, filled as it is with accumu-lated treasures and trinkets. But skip on over to the office cubicle  or, for that matter, an office with actual walls  and it can be a different story. Some offices are so dated. Its wallpaper from the 70s, falling-apart furniture and stacks of files  generally, an overall mess, says Sayeh Pezeshki, a designer who blogs about decor at The Office Stylist. Considering how much time many people spend at work, Your work space should be cheery and it should be fun, and it should be personal to you, says Sabrina Soto, designer host of HGTVs The High/Low Project. A soothing environment cuts down on work stress, designers believe. It really does affect the way that you work and the way that you feel, says Pezeshki. And, she says, You dont have to spend a lot of money doing it. Bob Richter, an interior designer and cast member of PBS treasure-hunting series Market Warriors, visits flea markets wherever he travels, returning home with one-of-a-kind mementos. I feel like a cubicle or a small office should feel like a small apart-ment, says Richter, who lives in a small New York City apartment. Things have to be tidy but there also has to be an opportunity to store things easily. Richter suggests combing flea markets for unusual boxes and baskets for storing supplies on an office desk. He uses old metal cof-fee tins and vintage ceramic plant-ers for holding pens and other supplies. Theres a nostalgic vibe to these items, Richter says. Soto suggests using lacquered boxes or stylish fiberboard boxes, like those sold at The Container Store. Good lighting, an attractive memo board, and at least one liv-ing plant or cut flowers are also essential for cultivating good cubi-cle ambiance. Bring a desk lamp from home; itll cheer up the space. Bring in low-water, low-light plants  at least one. Two plants that are good at surviving indoor light are pothos and heartleaf philodendron. Peace lilies also crave low light and are excellent at cleaning indoor air. Keep one on your desk, says Richter. It feels like theres life there. For the memo board, Richter suggests framing a section of cork, dry-erase board or good-quality plywood painted with chalkboard paint. Frame it in a vintage frame  its a tenth the price of a new frame, he says  or float the memo board inside the cubicle walls frame. Soto likes to paint her frames in bright colors, as does Pezeshki, whos all in for the bling. Her own office  not a cubicle  is painted black, purple and metallic silver. Its silver accents include a gallery wall of ornate frames and a large floor lamp. Its very glam, because Im very glam, says Pezeshki. I like shiny things and blingy things. Thats the important thing: to decorate your cubicle according to your own personality, the three designers say. If you like sports, use memorabilia. If youre a movie fan, go that route. For me, a place I want to be is a place surrounded by the things I love, says Richter. I think (the office cubicle) is an area where you can let your personality do the talking.More tips:Q Keep it tasteful, says Richter, and check with your human resources manager before turn-ing a cubicle into a fully furnished room. Theres a fine line between personalizing your desk and going overboard, he says. Q Ditch the sticky notes and the hanging calendar, which add clutter, Soto says. Lean a small dry-erase board against one wall and jot down notes there. Use an electronic calendar. Q Hang an attractive fabric along the cubicle walls, attach-ing it with decorative push-pins. Hang framed artwork. Anything to make the cubicle walls look like normal walls, Soto says. Q Cover bookshelves and cabinets with printed contact paper. It instantly pulls together the look, Pezeshki says. Pick five or six things currently sitting on your desk and replace them  pen-cil holder, frames, tape dispenser  with the look you want. Q Add silver accents. And paint whatever you can, Pezeshki advis-es, including the metal in/out box for papers. Put your personality in your workspace Interior DesignASSOCIATED PRESS Following the expert advice of several interior designer s, this cubicle at a Thornton, Colo., business was styled using a bold fabric pattern on the facing cubicle wall a nd black-and-white patterned contact paper on an upper cabinet and various accessories. The cubicle is outfitted with items that appeal to its inhabitant: framed photos and mementos of world travels, a few items picked up at a flea market and the artwork of friends, and inexpensive boxes to organize paperwork and provide grap hic appeal. Decorated primarily with items on hand, the Office cubicles can be adapted to personal tastes. COURTESY PHOTOContributors to this column are members of Girl Scout Tro op 525 (from left) Cathleen Towne, 12; Madison-Rose Patterson, 13; Brandy Bri tt, 14; and Kayla Calsow, 13. Q Genie Norman and Mary Kay Hollingswoth are Columbia County Residents who love good food and fun. Their column on area restau-rants appears twice monthly. You can contact them at TasteBuddiesLakeCity@gmail.com. TASTE: All Decked Out Continued From Page 1D Editors Note: The following column by members of Girl Scout Troop 525 to provides a youthful perspective on issues of the day. Girl Scouts Perspective

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married for 30 years and will be visiting my mother-in-law again soon. Even though he is 50, she is obsessed with dressing him. As soon as we arrive, she searches through our luggage and announces that his clothes are not good enough. Then she wants to put her son in her dead husbands clothes. She always threatens that she will have a fit if he wont wear the clothes she chooses. What should I do? -BAGGAGE CHECK IN MONTANA DEAR BAGGAGE CHECK: Your mother-in-law may still be in deep mourning for her husband. If your husband bears a strong resemblance to his father, its possible that seeing him in those clothes in some way brings her husband back to her. Frankly, her behavior is quite bizarre -including the threatened tantrum if she doesnt get her way. When the subject comes up again, you AND your husband should stand your ground and let her throw her fit. It might be the beginning of some healing. ** ** ** DEAR ABBY: I have a question regarding what to do when someone pays you a compliment. I was always taught that a compliment should be answered with a polite thank you. So when my husband compliments me on a nice meal, I say, Thank you. He believes that you are not being humble enough when you say thank you, since it is recognizing that you did a good job. He thinks you should say, Im glad you like it, instead of thank you. What is the correct response? -GRAMMATICALLY PERPLEXED DEAR PERPLEXED: You are not a robot, and your husband should not attempt to program your responses by correcting you. Saying thank you for a compliment is the appropriate response when one is offered. When paid a compliment, I see no reason to feign humility by saying anything that lessens it, especially if it is deserved. ** ** ** DEAR ABBY: About a year ago my sisters, a daughter and several niec-es and nephews decided to get the word family, in my mothers handwriting, tattooed on their bodies to memorialize her. I didnt do it because Mom didnt like tattoos and would not have approved of anyone getting one for any reason. I do a number of other things in her memory. Should I feel guilty for not joining them in their endeavor to remem-ber Mom, or is it OK to remember her in a way she would approve of? -NO TATS FOR ME DEAR NO TATS: The process of mourning is an individual one. There is no requirement that families do it en masse. If you prefer to memorialize your mother in your own way, then do it and dont feel guilty about it. However, because your relatives chose to do something else in the spirit of family harmony, be careful not to criticize the path they took. DEAR ABBY HOROSCOPES ARIES (March 21-April 19): Sulking behind closed doors wont solve your problems. You have to open up discussions that will allow you to show your concerns and fight for a turn to follow a path that is going to help you get ahead, not someone else. +++ TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Sharing will bring you the best results. A partner-ship that has potential will develop with someone you meet while helping others. Short trips or attending a community event will lead to romance. +++ GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Confusion is appar-ent. Withholding informa-tion will lead to a lack of communication in which nothing can be resolved. Consider who you are hurting by keeping perti-nent information a secret. +++ CANCER (June 21-July 22): Youll impress every-one with your memory, knowledge and experience. Traveling to a unique des-tination or getting involved in an activity or event that is unusual will spark your interest in someone who will enrich your love life. +++++ LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Problems getting informa-tion straight or discussing joint ventures are appar-ent. Before you sign docu-ments or give the go-ahead to someone who influ-ences your life, you are best to double-check the consequences that might develop. +++ VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Discuss your plans and share your thoughts with someone you think highly of, and you will come up with a feasible way to proceed. Much can be accomplished in your personal life with a little collaboration and coopera-tion. ++ LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Consider your original plan and what your goals were when you were grow-ing up. Focus on what you have to do to alter your life and turn your dream into a reality. Change is heading your way. +++ SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Show how serious you are by taking charge and letting whomever you are dealing with know where you stand. Take on a physi-cal challenge, and you will impress others and experi-ence success. Love is in the stars. +++ SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): Keep your eyes and ears open. Not every-one will be truthful regard-ing motives and intentions. Protect your heart, your assets and your emotional wellness. +++ CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19): Take a different approach to an old idea. Engaging in activities that you used to do will bring you in contact with old familiar places and people. A past partner will help you remember the simple pleasures in life. ++++ AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18): You will learn from observation. Spend quality time with people you feel share your likes, dislikes and future goals. ++ PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Embrace opportuni-ties to try something new. Love will lead to com-mitment and a chance to stabilize your life mentally, emotionally and financially. Learn from past mistakes and take care of legal con-cerns. +++++ Abigail Van Burenwww.dearabby.com THE LAST WORD Eugenia Word SUNDAY CROSSWORD Across 'UXPPHUV accompanier 6 Best-selling author who served as anurse in the CivilWar 12 Made up18 Hardens20 Fever cause21 Most bass22 Back down24 Back down25 Sinuous swimmer26 Grub27 Card game declaration 6KRZRIIRQHV JXQV 29 Some seen in mirrors? 30 Foul mood31 Floor vote32 Leaning33 Humdinger%DNHUVPHDVXUHV Abbr. 0UV0LQLYHUV KXVEDQGLQ0UV0LQLYHU 40 Scope42 Sprinkler conduit43 Back down46 Run out 48 Quarters used in Greenland .HJOHUVRUJ51 Honeyed drink53 Back down54 Detour signalers56 The left, informally58 Parts of galaxies60 Siberian city61 Jacket decoration64 Handles receptions, say 65 Back down68 Gather in bundles72 Joint committee?73 [How dare you?!]77 Talks without sincerity 79 Envelope abbr.80 Like some firs82 Back down83 Variety3DVFDOVODZ87 Ball partner88 Downgrade, perhaps90 Back down94 Father of Phobos:HOFRPH%DFN .RWWHUJX\ 97 La ___ Tar Pits98 Treasures101 Made one102 Tough situation103 Company making arrangements, forshort 105 PBS has a big one 107 When repeated, eager 108 Staffs109 Winged,PBBB\RX%LJQDPHLQV peace activism 112 Back down115 Back down118 Sheen, in Sheffield119 Advent120 Like some oil refineries 121 Clearly marks122 Mark, e.g.123 Boxer nicknamed +DQGVRI6WRQHDown 1 Try to shoot2 Lays to rest3 Slick ones?4 Go wrong5 Four-time baseball All-Star Jose ,WFKVFUDWFKHUV utterance ,V
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By MARJORIE MILLER Associated Press ZITACUARO, Mexico He found the love of his life 2,000 miles from home in a chance encounter that gave him butterflies, and she moved west to be with him. So of course, Jason Skipton told me, there could be no better place to propose marriage than in a swirl of orange and black butterflies that had migrat ed thousands of miles to mate. Never mind that that the stunning monarch butter fly sanctuary was in an area of central Mexico contest ed by drug cartels. When Samantha Goldberger set up her camera and dart ed to Skiptons side for a Valentines Day picture, he dropped to one knee and asked for her hand. This place is like a mir acle. And it is a miraculous thing that took place with us, Skipton said. No one knows why the monarchs travel so far, or come here to find each other. It is inex plicable. Indeed, every year, mil lions of monarchs migrate from the eastern United States and Canada to cen tral Mexico, a journey of 2,000 miles and more into a wooded land under attack by loggers in a region bloodied by drug traffickers. The tigerstriped butterflies arrive in late October and early November to hibernate in fir trees, clinging together like great clusters of fall leaves. Come February, they start to awaken in the warm sun, turn glittering somersaults in search of their mates, and begin to couple. I had long wanted to see this magical sight, and to hear the delicate music the butterflies make with the fluttering of their wings. As I boarded the bus from Mexico City to Michoacan with my husband and a friend, I wondered what tourists we might encoun ter in a place both beautiful and beastly. Who had the appetite for travel to central Mexico after the U.S. gov ernment warned against non-essential travel to most of the state of Michoacan, where we were headed? There didnt appear to be other foreigners mak ing the bus trip, a twohour ride out the Toluca highway and along wind ing country roads as a sub titled version of the movie Abduction aired on TV screens overhead. Our hosts and hoteliers, Pablo and Lisette Span, had told us to buy a ticket at the taxi stand in the Zitacuaro bus station for the 10-minute ride to their Rancho San Cayetano. We did, arriving safe and sound. Friends told us San Cayetano was one of the nicest and most charming places to stay in butterfly country. Its also one of the priciest, but the mani cured grounds are lush and the rooms are cozy, each with a fireplace and woodpile ready to light at night. Although there are individual dining tables, guests naturally mingle and chat so that dinners and breakfasts become rather communal affairs. Pablo Span ate with us the first night and, in his gen tlemanly way, tried to set us straight on the violence in Michoacan. Around the world, Mexico is synonymous with violence. But the vio lence is between the cartels fighting each other over territory, or between the cartels and the police and military. Its not against us. Not a single national or foreign tourist has died in the violence, he said. The U.S. travel adviso ry makes a similar point that attacks on Mexican government officials, law enforcement and military personnel ... have occurred throughout Michoacan. Added Span: The real ity is touch wood we live exactly as we always have. Touch wood? Really, thats our security policy? But like Skipton and Goldberger, the guests we met were not only unfazed by the warnings, they were utterly captivated by the landscape. Another visiting couple, Michael Marez and Grace Buckley of Denver, Colorado, own a vacation house in Mazatlan, have been trav elling throughout Mexico for years, and see no rea son to stop now. They appeared to subscribe to the idea that violence is relative, noting that more than 1,700 people had been shot to death in the United States since the Newtown school massacre. People in the United States are desensitized to what happens in the United States and think what hap pens in Mexico is so much worse, said Marez. We hope to avoid being collat eral damage anywhere. You pay attention, added Buckley. Sure Mexico has problems. Theyre sad and awful. But its a wonderful country. Rounding out the for eign crowd was a group of Intel employees and their families up from Mexico City. So it seemed the tour ist pool, in this corner of Michoacan at least, was made up of expats, old Mexico hands, and hardy adventurers who consider witnessing the miracle of the monarch butterfly migration essential travel. (Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, also made the pilgrimage to see butter flies that weekend, but to the Piedra Herrada sanctu ary near Valle de Bravo, in the state of Mexico.) We opted to go to the reserve closest to San Cayetano called El Capulin, which is technically across the border from Michoacan in the state of Mexico. It is about half an hours car ride from the hotel to the stables, where we rented some pretty scrawny hors es and hired guides for the 1 hour trek uphill to the reserve at a place called Cerro Pelon. It was a rocky, dusty trip and there apparently are easier trails to the Sierra Chincua and the larger El Rosario sanctuaries in Michoacan, but it was well worth the saddle pain. For here in the forest, I learned the great mystery of the monarchs, which is this: Most monarchs live only four or five weeks, but the generations that make the long migratory jour ney to Mexico live four or five months. They breed, the females lay their eggs on the road north, and die along with the males. Then, a year and five butterfly generations later, their descendants rely on some kind of instinctive GPS system to migrate south again, returning to exactly the same forest in central Mexico. How cool is that? 6D LAKE CITY REPORTER LIFE SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 Page Editor: Jim Barr, 754-0424 6DLIFE Learning that you or someone you love has cancer can be a frightening experience. When processing that news, your patients need to know as much as possible about available treatment options: especially what options are available close to home. A Network of Care The Cancer Center at Lake City and the Cancer Center at North Florida Regional have partnered in an effort to bring residents in our region comprehensive cancer services within one local network. Together, we are focused on providing patients with quality, coordinated cancer care. Patients honesty, genuine compassion and an understanding of the challenges people experience when diagnosed with cancer. Our Services Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) High Dose Rate Brachytherapy (HDR)* Mammosite* Prostate Seed Implants Cyberknife Radiosurgery* PET / CT Services GE CT Simulator Varian Linear Accelerator *Some oncology services provided by I went to Cancer Center at Lake City for my treatment and didnt even have to leave town! Everyone at the facility was very nice, gentle and very professional. James Johndro Cancer Survivor I went to Cancer Center at Lake City for my treatment and didnt even have to leave town! Everyone at the facility was very nice, gentle and very professional. James Johndro Cancer Survivor I went to Cancer Center at Lake City for my treatment and didnt even have to leave town! Everyone at the facility was very nice, gentle and very professional. James Johndro Cancer Survivor I went to Cancer Center at Lake City for my treatment and didnt even have to leave town! Everyone at the facility was very nice, gentle and very professional. James Johndro Cancer Survivor 386-758-7822 LCM-4410 Cancer Ad 5.25x10.5.indd 1 1/24/13 3:31 PM Monarchs by the millions TRAVEL ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS Monarch butterflies are collected in a net to be tested for a parasite that inhibits their flight at El Capulin reserve, near Zitacuaro, Mexico. Every year, millions of monarchs migrate from the eastern United States and Canada to central Mexico, a journey of more than 2,000 miles. The tiger-striped butterflies arrive in late October and early November to hibernate in fir trees until February before mating then setting out for northern areas again. Wintering area for butterflies facing threats. ASSOCIATED PRESS A painting of a monarch butterfly is displayed in the reception area of Rancho San Cayetano, a hotel near near Zitacuaro, in the central Mexican state of Michoacan.